Conflict
by Angel Della Notte
Summary: Tomoe swore her revenge on Garderobe and Earl and she will have it. The question is can she be stopped or will Earl crumble all around her?
1. Chapter 1: Fact Finding

**Conflict**

**By**

**Angel Della Notte and Ultima- Matrixed**

_Author Notes: It's been quite some time since I've posted anything but that was because I was working on this project with Ultima-Matrixed. We want to have a large chunk of this story finished before we started posting. Anyway just as a warning this story is rated M it will have violence and sex in it so there is your warning. Plus if you haven't noticed it's got angst in the category so don't be too shocked when you read it. This story ties in a lot with our others stories so if you haven't read them you might be a little confused. You don't have to read them but we would recommend it. There you have it and as always we don't own Mai-HiME or Mai-Otome. Oh on a side note there will be some time jumping here and there so bear with us all will be explained as we go. The story is broken into three arcs we'll let you know when we switch between them. Almost forget a big thanks to EM PRAETORIAN for being our beta and pointing out all the parts that didn't make sense.  
_

**Arc One - Chapter One: Fact Finding**

(Courtyard, Garderobe, One year after the fall)

A young girl with long brown hair, pulled into two pony tails, approached a deserted campus. The grounds were unkempt and looked like there hadn't been any students there in months. She and another girl flew towards the school both shocked at what they saw. The first girl looked down and touched her GEM.

"Nina, this is so depressing." The young brown haired girl said.

"Hai Arika it is, who would have thought Tomoe could do all this." The other girl, Nina, said flying lower to survey the grounds.

Arika pulled out a pad, checking the readings, and seeing that it was the same as every other week.

"No breaches," Arika said wearily, "There's activity down there but that is just Irina-chan. She must be starting to go nuts down there by herself."

"I still can't believe she left Adam-san outside." Nina said glancing to a small tent set up just outside a broken part of the gates. Both girls made a pass around the campus and then landed in front of the tent.

A man with shaggy hair walked out of the tent, with a hand held computer in his hands, and a full beard, not paying attention to where he was going nearly knocking into Nina.

"Kaine-san?" Arika asked as she waved her hand in front of the screen as Nina quickly moved out of his way.

He took a few steps, ignoring Arika, and mumbling to himself before he looked up.

"Ah Yumemiya-sama, Wang-sama," Adam said as he bowed to them.

"Nina-chan, stay with him. I'll have to go in and I know just the thing to get her to open up." Arika said patting the leather pouch on her hip.

Arika walked across the campus feeling sad looking at all the over growth and dirty windows before she walked around the edge of the mausoleum and tapped her GEM, knowing she was close enough. The communication system was still down, but if you were in close range to another Otome you could reach them. "Irina-chan," Arika said.

First came the static across the line, then Arika heard Irina's voice, though she didn't seem to be talking to Arika. It was like Irina was talking to someone else, which struck Arika as odd, since Irina had locked herself in the mausoleum alone.

"Irina-chan? It's Arika." Arika asked calling out to her friend.

"Arika? Can't talk busy..." Irina mumbled across the line.

"I have the vacuum tubes and the bulb transistors you asked for," Arika said tapping on the door.

"Box...place them in the box. I've no time for idle chit chat," Irina said as the sound of a saw was heard across the line, "Dimensions are wrong need to measure again. Two feet long, half an inch wide, and an inch and half for the connectors, yet it's still too long..."

"Irina, open this door, before I take these parts and give them to Kaine-san," Arika said knocking on the door again.

"Adam?" Irina said thinking briefly about her boyfriend.

When all hell broke loose and the founder had nearly been destroyed, Irina had kicked everyone remaining out, including Adam, and started repairs.

"What would he do with them in Cardair?" Irina asked looking down at her hand noticing a ring on her finger.

Irina found the ring shortly after she had thrown Adam out, still angry at him for what he had done. They had been dating seriously for a while, before the attack, but she never knew he was _that_ serious until she found the ring on the floor, near a blood stain. She knew it was her own blood, remembering how they had tortured her in that spot. The ring was in a small box and upon opening it she knew it was from Adam.

Adam had a hobby of crafting jewelry; she owned quite a few pieces he had made, but this one seemed different from the others. Inside the box was a gold band with a diamond in the center. The inside band had the words "Forever mine" scripted along the edge. Looking again into the box, Irina found another ring, this one a simple band with the same text on it. She was still mad at Adam, though deep inside she wanted to tell him yes. They hadn't spoken since that day, Irina still wearing the ring with the other kept on a necklace she wore constantly.

"Director, under sub article seven I order you to open this door," Arika said mentioning the directive Mashiro had told her to use if Irina refused.

Arika didn't really know what it meant, even though Nina and the queen both tried to explain it. The directive stated that if Garderobe's Columns were incapacitated that the Otome of Windbloom, Aries, Cardair, Annam and both Lutesian countries were granted permission to each chose one Otome as an interim Column until Garderobe could restore their own. Mashiro had put a call out to the other nations, but so far none had responded, most having problems of their own to deal with. All of Earl was in distress; none of them had the resources to restore Garderobe.

"That directive can only be given by remaining faculty, which is me, and I haven't issued it," Irina said looking up from her ring, realizing she had walked from where she was working over to the door.

"The zero directive states, the Otome of the royal family of Wind, reserves the right to override a..." Arika said trying to remember the law clearly; tapping her head several times hoping it would come to her, "A standing protection order." She waited several minutes and when Irina didn't answer, Arika started banging her head on the door.

The door opened quickly with Irina standing there, "Will you stop that? You're going to dent it and I'll have more work that I don't need."

Arika stood there shocked, looked at Irina, and noticed and smelled that Irina probably hadn't bathed for days. Her hair was messy; there was grease all over her face and her clothes, "What is going on Irina-chan? Garderobe has been closed down for almost a year and nobody knows where any of the columns are. Mashiro-chan enacted the zero directive a few weeks ago. What is going on?"

"Some kind of pulse knocked out nearly all the components. Two and three left months ago, four followed shortly after, and then one went out searching hasn't reported in. No information on five." Irina rambled off what she knew of the Columns.

"Maya-onee-san retired and Itsuko Tsukinobi has been missing all of this time. She had just barely been appointed as fifth; she didn't really get any training." Arika said.

Itsuko was the only column they had any information on, up until her disappearance. She disappeared around the same time as Sara. Their last known whereabouts were somewhere in Aries' Capital during the attack. With the founder down there was no way of telling whether or not they were still alive. Being optimistic, Arika felt that all five columns were still alive.

Nina walked up at that moment and asked, "Do you know where any of them are?"

"The pulse fried everything; it will have to be rebuilt by hand." Irina said grabbing the bag from Arika.

Digging through the bag, Irina took out a transistor, walked over to the coffee pot, flipped the base over and replaced the one inside.

"Finally!" Irina shouted with glee as she started to prep a pot of coffee. Irina glanced up to Arika again and asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any grounds?"

"Arika, can you make sure they get some food and clean up? Inform Mashiro, I have a hunch and will return soon." Nina said as she turned around, thinking of a place that one of the columns surely was. She briefly wondered to herself why she hadn't thought of it sooner. Somehow the coffee maker reminded her of her time in Artai.

"Roger that." Arika said taking Irina by the arm and guiding her into the back.

(Outside the Township of Finden, Annam)

A young woman with long brown hair and bright crimson eyes walked down a dirt path, picking several flowers, and smelling them, before walking into a circle of caravans. It was early evening.

"Satori, don't dawdle, there is work to be done," A man with graying brown hair said looking up from the axe he was sharpening.

"Forgive me, Rokus, this meadow was just so beautiful I couldn't resist. Shall we be leaving in the morning?" Satori asked as she walked over to a line of clothes that had been hung out to dry. Satori dropped the flowers into a tin can that had water left in it from the rain several nights before. She started folding the clothes, placing them in a basket.

"That's right tomorrow morning we travel to the Northern Province. Have you thought about what I told you?" Rokus inquired as het set the axe down and walked over to help Satori fold the clothes. He had a worried look on his face that confused the woman.

Satori gave a weary sigh and said, "I have, but I don't understand why I should leave, this is my place," she then also asked, "You are my family, why should I not be with the ones that love me?"

"You are needed away from here, Shizuru. Your mother would not want you here. She would want you out there." Rokus said pointing to the west to where Aries and a large part of Wind lay in ruins.

"Although I must admit it is a pretty name, I do not understand why you insist on calling me, Shizuru," Satori said, over the last several months Rokus had been asking strange questions and on occasion called her Shizuru.

"What do you remember?" Rokus asked.

Shizuru had come to the clan shortly before Tomoe had attacked Aries and Garderobe. She seemed to be lost at first and didn't quite know who she was. She kept saying her name was Satori. Rokus had heard rumors of problems between Shizuru and her lover, but was truly surprised and confused when she showed up on his doorstep, claiming to be her mother.

"Of what? I've been with the clan my entire life." Satori said folding the last of the clothes.

"Very well, you may return to your duties. Send over my eldest daughter as you see to putting those away." Rokus said shaking his head. He wondered what could have caused her to believe she was his sister. He watched as Satori headed off and then proceeded into his tent.

"Hai," Satori said then wandered off. She stopped next to a girl around her own age, they shared similar looks, only her brown hair was dark and her eyes more brown then red, "Naomi, your father wishes to see you."

"Ah, thank you Shiz… Satori," Naomi said as she walked back the way Satori had come and into her father's tent. Rokus sat at a table, in his tent, writing the last of a letter and sealing it in an envelope.

"You wanted to see me father?" Naomi asked respectfully.

"Take this letter and one of the stallions, and do not stop until this is in Ein-hime's hands." Rokus said.

"Is it about my cousin?" Naomi asked also wondering what was wrong with her cousin.

"What have I told you about asking these things?" Rokus said sharper then he intended to. He was frustrated, with what was happening to his niece, and really had no idea what could be done. His only hope was that Princess Ein could do something to help his niece.

"Forgive me father, it's just we are all concerned about her." Naomi said bowing her head as she took the envelope.

"It's alright, child, go now." Rokus said gently stroking his daughter's hand.

"Yes, father," Naomi said squeezing his hand before leaving the tent. As instructed she took a horse and started riding towards the palace.

(Striped Lounge, Obsidian Palace, Artai Principality)

Some time later, a hooded figure fell from the sky, and landed in one of the shadier districts of Artai. She walked up to a saloon and opened the door, looking around the room. Not many people were in there and most of them wore striped shirts. She walked in and up to the bar, looking directly at the barkeep.

"We're closed, come back at ten." The man said hardly looking up from the glass he was cleaning.

Nina looked at the large man's striped shirt; she knew he was a part of Nao's stripe gang. "Where is your boss?" Nina asked, sitting down at the bar, ignoring his statement about the bar being closed.

"Gone, Ain't seen her in months. Now get out." The barkeep said looking down and to the left, his eyes glancing toward the stairs.

Nina's arm darted out from under her cloak, revealing a dark green sleeve of her uniform, as her hand grabbed the man and pulled him down to her level.

"I just flew straight from Wind, I'm tired, and I have business with your boss. I could call my robe and get you in real trouble." Nina said her hood falling to revealing her head and face.

Though she had been pardoned for her actions in the Wind Uprising many years ago, there weren't many people that didn't know Nina Wang, the former Ultimate Black Diamond. Many still feared her, even though she no longer served Nagi.

"Meister Wang, please, I know you are her friend, but she doesn't wish to be disturbed," The barkeep said as he looked down at his hand, which was bandaged from the last time he bothered his boss. She was in a foul mood and put a knife through his hand. The man looked around wondering which he feared more, his boss or Nina Wang, both could be ruthless in their own ways.

"Where is she? I will deal with the retribution," Nina said sternly as she stood.

Several others had looked for Nao, in several of her known hideouts across Artai, but there had been no sighting of her. No one could get any information out of her gang either. This was one of Nao's lesser known places. The only reason Nina knew about it was because Nao had ordered her stripes gang to bring Nina here during the incident with Yuna. Still, Nina knew how to deal with the sort of men that Nao employed. A few well placed threats, from the right person, was all it took. "However, should you refuse; I'll do far worse then put a knife through your hand."

"Upstairs, third door on the left, you can't miss it. There are several knives sticking through," the barkeep said swallowing hard as he pointed to the stairs. Nao would be furious with him, but he trusted that Nina would keep her word. Though she could be ruthless, Nina Wang was honorable.

Nina nodded and tossed him a coin before heading up the stairs. Upon arrival, Nina raised a booted foot and kicked the door open, causing the frame to splinter, and the door to fall into the room.

A red headed woman looked up from the floor, grabbed a dagger, and threw it at Nina, missing her completely. As the knife hit the splintered door frame, the red head fumbled around for something else to throw.

"Do you really want to ride this train?" Nina asked as she kicked the next knife away and looked around the trashed room.

"What are you talking about?" Nao said.

While Nao didn't bother getting up, Nina thought that maybe she just didn't realize she was on the floor. Nao recalled passing out while sitting at the desk and thought she must have fallen over while asleep.

"I suspected I would find you under some rock. Now..." Nina said as she walked forward, "You want to tell me what's going on? Or am I going to have to do something you won't like very much?"

"Bug off, Nina. I'm not in the mood." Nao said as pushed up off the ground and moved to the desk. Nao looked through the drawers and found a spoon, and then she picked a candle up off the floor.

"You always have to do things the hard way." Nina said looking at the clothes Nao was wearing; a dirty tank top, dirty torn jeans and Natsuki's blue coat.

Nina was disgusted as noticed the track marks along Nao's arms, the sleeves of the jacket had been rolled up, "The needle using you again, eh? I won't ask nicely a second time. What happened?"

"Hell if I know..." Nao said as she pulled out the drawer and dumped its contents on the floor, in order to get a better look through it.

Nina grabbed Nao by the top of her head, forcing her to look up, "You're all strung out, with no weapons or robe, and about fifty pounds lighter then I last saw. No match for a Meister who is in shape." Nina said as she reached out for and pulled over a bucket that had been collecting water from a leak in the roof, and shoved Nao's head into it roughly.

Nao pushed hard to get her head out, but couldn't get free, until Nina finally pulled her out. Nao to spit water from her mouth and then tried to take a swing at Nina, once again missing completely. The missed punch forced Nao to stagger several awkward steps, before losing her balance, and falling into the wall. Nao was pulled from the ground by Nina as she grabbed her left arm.

Nina wrenched the arm behind Nao, before she pinned her on the bed, "Let's try this again, shall we?" Nina said guiding Nao back to the bucket.

"What the fuck do you want?" Nao asked trying to take a step away from the bucket, failing as she backed into Nina, surprised that the younger girl could over power her.

"Tell me everything you know about what happened. I can feel you shaking, if you tell me everything I may let you up. Hell I may even give you the money to buy a fix. You're out by the way." Nina said.

Nina noticed Nao's stash on the table and pocketed the half full bag of white powder. Deeply disgusted, Nina steeled her disappointment, for she knew there would be more.

"I told you, I don't know anything..... I can't remember" Nao said trying to break free again.

"You're lying," Nina said twisting Nao's arm once more, "How did you get the principal's coat?"

"I know what everyone else does, Viola left, then Kruger. After that, Tomoe attacked and the world went to hell," Nao said finally standing still, admitting that she couldn't break free from Nina, "That green haired bitch, it's all her fault."

"How so?" Nina said loosening her grip slightly.

"What were you asleep? It happened in your backyard. I only know what I saw on the news, I wasn't there." Nao hissed as she remembered the insanity.

"Irina said that you took off _after_ the Principal and Archmeister left. Where did _you_ go? Oh, and zero directive has been issued, so you have no legal pole to stand behind," Nina said impatient with Nao's antics.

"Kruger was a mess when she left. I followed her to keep her from doing anything _stupid_," Nao said rolling her shoulders both stiff from the way Nina held her.

Nina still refused to let go of her, "Now we are getting somewhere. So what happened?"

"Kruger found out that Viola wasn't the perfect little trophy wife, that she was screwing around," Nao growled thinking disgustedly, that even though Shizuru had screwed everything up with Natsuki, the blue haired woman was still in love with her.

"What do you mean?" Nina asked. She had heard rumors about Shizuru. Supposedly, it was those rumors that had broken Natsuki and Shizuru apart, still Nina wanted to know Nao's version of the story.

"Kruger found out Viola was fucking Tomoe," Nao said each word laced with venom, "You know during the war."

"That rumor has been going around for years. In any case, why is it such a deal now? That's minuscule compared to what I did," Nina said lowering her voice and looking away even though Nao's back was facing her.

"Yeah, but _that_ wasn't a rumor. Viola _lied_ to Kruger about it," Nao said picking her words. Nao chose not to comment on Nina's statement about the war.

"You mean she never told her? Forget that, obvious answer. So you followed the principal, then what?" Nina said shaking her head to clear the thoughts of what she did in the war.

"It wasn't meant to be, so I left," Nao said closing her eyes remembering the feel of Natsuki's lips on her neck, "…been here ever since."

"So you found out that the principal was on the outs and decided to take a run at her? Why make a bad situation worse ... unless..." Nina said trailing off.

"Shut up, Wang, you don't have a clue." Nao said fiercely as she tried to turn around again.

"There is no shame in loving someone, Nao. You were trying to help her." Nina said loosening up again.

"I never loved her, so watch your mouth," Nao stated with so much hurt and anger. Nao tried to elbow Nina in the stomach, but Nina caught the move, and slammed Nao into the wall for trying it.

"You better stop lying to yourself. That's why you are here, and I am pinning you to the wall. If you don't admit it, you'll die from withdrawal, or you'll find another way to poison yourself," Nina said holding her to the wall.

"What does it matter? It wasn't meant to be." Nao said giving up again on resisting.

Nina got off of Nao and reached under her cloak. She tossed a bag of coins on the desk, disheartened, "Get your level up, detox, I don't care. I am ordering you to Windbloom by the end of the month. That gives you more then enough time. If you don't come, I'll send Arika to retrieve you."

"What's the point? I never should have been a Column anyway." Nao said turning her back to the wall and sliding down it. "Everyone knows that."

"Be there." Nina said then started to walk out.

Nao scoffed and looked up at Nina, "You really think _you_ can fix this?"

"It's not about me. It's about the Otome. It's about how a few people can tear our world asunder if they wish." Nina said as she kept walking. "If you ask me, I think a few people can put Earl back together, but they need to get off their asses first."

Nao looked at the candle on the table, then to the sack of coins. Nao reaches up blindly, smacking the candle over, before finding the phone on the table, "Go take my robe to the cleaners down the street."

_Author Notes: Like I said this story has references to a lot of the other stories I've posted and it will have some from Ultima's story Seven Days. Such as Nao's drug addiction which was mentioned in her chapter of My Past._


	2. Chapter 2: Relationships or Not

Chapter Two: Relationships or Not

(Suzushiro, Eastern Border Lands, Aries)

Yukino sat in her make shift office, looking out the small port window on the desert. She figured they were on the eastern side of the country near the Windbloom border. Letting out a large sigh, Yukino went back to her paperwork.

"That little green haired twit, the losses are horrendous." Haruka said as she looked at the clipboard she held.

They had managed to get communications back up, but had to develop a new method of coding their messages. Somehow, Tomoe's forces had learned all of the original codes they used. Until the new system was put into place, their forces resorted to sending messengers hoping they would make it through. When possible they used Otome, but most often it required a foot soldier to deliver the message. Haruka was truly glad that they finally had communications working.

"We were able to take back the Serin Province, though there isn't much left of it. Most of the refugees have fled to the Twine Province," Yukino said going over several newly received reports.

"So far there are 400,000 regular military causalities with better than half of those dead. Echo Squad has three heavily wounded, including their commander, while Delta Squad suffered one fatality," Haruka said as she walked behind Yukino and rubbed her shoulders.

"That reminds me, I should check on the Captain later today," Yukino said with an exasperated sigh she tried to check on those soldiers in their infirmary at least once a day but with everything going on she found it hard to find the time. "She's giving her nurses a hard time. I only wish that was the case with the Colonel."

Chie had taken the loss of one of her squad members hard. Neither Haruka nor Yukino knew exactly what had happened on that fateful last mission. Only that something had gone wrong and they suffered quite a few injures plus one death. The only one to see it happen was Chie and she refused to talk about it. All they had was a brief summary in her report that didn't say much more than one of Delta had been killed. Yukino had ordered Chie to take some time off and arranged with Queen Mashiro to let Aoi have some time off to help with Chie's recovery. They dropped Chie off with a convoy bound for Windbloom earlier that day. Chie argued vehemently that she didn't need the time off and Haruka practically threw Chie onto the truck, threatening to have her handcuffed to the dash if she didn't behave.

"Is she still refusing to take a little leave?" Haruka asked hearing the radio at her side say something about Chie. She picked it up and nearly yelled into, "I told you, if Hallard gave you any trouble, hand cuff her to the dash. I don't care if you are only a Lieutenant and she's a Colonel. Tell that idiot, that my Star, trumps her Bird." Haruka slammed the radio down on the desk after the Lieutenant on the other end left to follow her orders.

Haruka let out a long sigh and resumed rubbing Yukino's shoulders the action relaxing her as much as it did the President. "_Why_ did I let the colonel _off _the vessel twelve hours ago? I told her that the queen released _her_ maid. We should have taken the Queen's suggestion and brought the maid here, but it's too dangerous for civilians aboard. It's bad enough that we don't have a safe place to house the wounded. Marguerite is even attacking our hospitals," Haruka said shaking her head as she heard over the radio that the Lieutenant had handcuffed Chie to the dash.

"She's taking a leave like it or not. If I wasn't spread so thin I'd kick her ass all the way to Wind myself. I've already got reports that the mutt is firing on my patrols," Haruka said as she thought of the reports from Twine Province.

"We are hard pressed for soldiers, but I hate sending them back out like this," Yukino said looking down at the desk as Haruka rubbed her shoulders harder. Both women looked up as there was a buzz at door. Yukino looked up at the monitor, to see Shie standing there, her left arm in a sling and patch over her left eye.

Haruka opened the door, shaking her head. Shie had been ordered to remain in bed, but that seemed to be easier said then done, "Will I have to knock you out? Get back to the infirmary, Captain Hallard."

Shie saluted even though Haruka had already turned her back to her and was walking back to the desk. Haruka sat in a chair in front of Yukino's desk as Shie stepped forward, "General I'm requesting to be returned to duty. My shoulder was only dislocated, my nano-machines should have healed it by now, and I've adjusted to seeing with only one eye."

"The doctors informed me that there is still shrapnel in your eye, Captain. You may have to have that eye removed completely if you do not rest. Surgery is still an option at this point," Yukino said gesturing to one of the other chairs though Shie remained standing. Things had become quite relaxed since the war started, many of the military protocols were forgone, and as in the heat of battle saluting could very well get you and the person you saluted killed.

"Madam President, we are at war and there is always a price, but that price is meaningless if we lose. The reports aren't looking good; we need everyone we have out there. I can't be sitting here in bed, while what's left of my squad is out there," Shie said pacing.

"Your squad has been called back to the twenty-fifth parallel with Michaels in charge you said it yourself in a report a month ago she is more then capable of leading the squad." Haruka said firmly, "You aren't going anywhere, but a cot in the infirmary."

"Over half of my army is dead or injured. I will not risk anymore of my people, especially one as injured as you are Captain." Yukino said.

"General, Madam President, please, I need to be doing something. Send me out as a messenger, _anything_," Shie pleaded.

"Shadow Dexterous Amber, you are to stand down and stay your war hungry ass on my ship. Am I clear?" Haruka roared with an edge of finality, standing up and knocking the chair over. Originally Shie's GEM had been the Dusk Dexterous Amber but due to a design flaw it had problems with overloading. It had nearly killed her then master Imari Retiko-Tokiha when it overloaded and broke. Since then Irina had modified the GEM to not be as powerful and had given it a new name.

"General," Shie said starting to plead again, but was glared at, "As ordered." Shie said then saluted her superior officer and Otome.

"What was the last you heard of Zipang, Captain?" Yukino asked having just read a report about the distant nation. She was surprised that Tomoe's forces had reached that far.

"There have been no reports, we've lost contact." Shie said looking out the small window worried about Imari.

"One line was sent out, a call for help, about twelve hours ago. The Imperial Palace fell shortly before. Garderobe's net is down, so we don't know of any Otome activity or if the Empress or Emperor still live," Yukino said knowing that Shie had a relationship with Zipang's Otome Imari Retiko-Tokiha. Shortly after Imari had graduated and had spent several months as Takumi's Otome Akira had agreed that he was adequately protected and they had been married. Akira trading her title of royal bodyguard with the one of Empress; still no one dared attack Takumi as he now had an Otome and a ninja wife looking after him. No one but Tomoe that is.

"_Imari_... General allow me to do an aerial fly over. No contact just recon," Shie said leaning forward, her eyes pleading.

"The reason you were told is so you can prepare for the fact that Meister Retiko-Tokiha may have fallen in battle. I will not let you fly that sort of distance through hostile territory in your current condition. Our army is in full retreat. Maybe after the activity dies down, but not now," Haruka said walking over to the young Otome and putting her hand on her shoulder. Firm guidance and understanding wrapped together in that one touch.

"She's alive... I would_ know_ if she wasn't." Shie said glancing over to Haruka, knowing deep in her gut that Imari was still alive.

"Then hold onto that, Captain, and report back to the infirmary. You will not be cleared for duty, until I get a green light from your doctor. Even then, you will be assigned to scouting duty until further notice," Yukino said even though she had already gotten a report that Shie could resume light duty.

A little minor flying, at low levels, and Shie was not to engage in combat. Yukino didn't want to get Shie's hopes up too much. The President was worried that the Captain might get ahead of herself and overdo it. Shie Hallard had a habit of being headstrong which often got her into trouble, a well-known fact to both the President and the General.

"All I have to do is convince Mary to sign me off? Breeze," Shie said confidently under her breath. She had been flirting with both the nurses and her doctor and felt that she had them wrapped completely around her little finger.

"You could at least try to hide it better, Captain. You are scheduled on the dawn patrol for tomorrow. It would be a shame if you were removed from that list." Haruka said as Shie saluted her one last time. After Haruka returned it, the young captain left the office in a much better frame of mind.

(Royal Chambers, Fuka Palace, Wind)

Arika walked into the royal bedroom and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the closet and changed into her night clothes. Mashiro had finally accepted that regardless of what she did, Arika was going sleepwalk into her chambers, and into her bed. In fact, the young queen had gotten so used to her bumbling Otome, that whenever Arika was away on a mission, she had trouble sleeping. Arika walked over to the dresser, taking her hair down, and turning to Mashiro said, "The castle is locked so tight your cat needs a clearance."

"I can sleep at ease now. Come to bed," Mashiro replied patting the bed, even though she blushed a little thinking of the strange feelings that overcome her.

"You sure about that… this morning ..." Arika said blushing as well and making no movement towards the bed.

"You'll only wind up here in the morning anyway," Mashiro said trying to ignore her own blush, telling herself that it hadn't happened this morning.

"But I woke up to Mashiro-chan... kissing ...me…" Arika said her face a full flush now.

"I told you already that was just a strange dream." Mashiro said quickly trying to convince herself that it was a dream.

Truth was she wasn't sure and the fact that Arika knew it too confused her even more. It might have been a dream; Arika often did things in her sleep. Who was to say that Mashiro didn't do things in her sleep as well?

She had been extremely stressed lately; Wind had taken heavy losses, but thanks to measures put in place after the Wind Uprising, Tomoe hadn't been able to invade Wind. With the help of Nina, and what little Sergay remembered, they were able to fill in the holes in their security that Nagi had slipped through. She thought they were truly lucky that Tomoe hadn't set up camp at Garderobe and only disabled it.

Arika let out a small smile, "Okay," She said then walked over to the bed, lying down next to Mashiro, she then reached up turning the light off. The two of them lay in bed for several minutes, neither of them saying anything, or being able to fall asleep, both just staring at the ceiling.

"You never told me earlier, what happened when you and Nina went to Garderobe." Mashiro said trying to break the awkwardness between them by changing the subject.

"We found the Director and her boyfriend both half insane." Arika said worried about Irina, "I think I'm going to check on them more often."

"It must be hard for her being in there alone. You delivered the items she requested?" Mashiro asked making idle chit chat. It had only been a couple of weeks since Arika had been able to make contact with Irina. It took half as long to get anything that made sense out of the newly appointed Director of Garderobe.

"Yes," Arika said nodding, even though it was dark.

"Good, has Nina reported in yet?" Mashiro asked, both of them feeling uncomfortable.

"Not yet," Arika said, "She's in Artai and communication there isn't the best."

"With communication lines as messed up as they have been since the storm last winter, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't hear from her until she left Artai." Mashiro said referring to a storm that had severally damaged much of Artai. Tomoe's forces had left most of the frozen nation alone, though the storm had done the damage she hadn't.

"Mashiro-chan?" Arika shyly said looking over to Mashiro.

"Hai?" Mashiro said looking over to Arika, knowing what Arika was wondering, and feeling a bit afraid of it.

"Do you dream about sleeping with me?" Arika asked shyly.

Mashiro's comment, that what happened this morning had only been a dream, struck her as odd. Mashiro had been right, that she dreamed about her, but this morning seemed so real. She often wandered if Mashiro, too, had strange dreams.

"I....I...." Mashiro stuttered, glad it was dark, and Arika couldn't see how red she had become.

Arika looked over at her, smiling, able to barely see Mashiro in the moonlight. Her features were striped by the bars that had been installed on the windows to prevent anyone from breaking in through them. "I won't get mad." Arika said.

"You aren't the only one having strange dreams...." Mashiro confessed as Arika looked at her with serious but cheerful eyes. "Arika....." Mashiro said, leaning forward, kissing her then quickly pulling back flushed.

"Mashiro-chan?" Arika said completely shocked, not just at Mashiro kissing her, but at how good it felt.

"Forget that even happened." Mashiro said turning her back to Arika embarrassed. Arika sat up and slid her arms around Mashiro, pulling the young Queen into her lap, and then she laid her head on Mashiro's shoulder. "Arika.... Do you think our dreams are wrong?"

"Wrong? Mashiro, I don't think they are." Arika said stroking her hand through Mashiro's hair. She had always felt close to Mashiro, even when they fought. At first Arika thought it was because they were such good friends, but now she wasn't sure. Could it be something more?

"Arika.... would it be wrong if I wanted to kiss you again?" Mashiro meekly asked looking up at Arika, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"No, it wouldn't." Arika replied, fearing that she had drifted off, and was dreaming again. Mashiro leaned back, pulling Arika's lips to hers, once again softly kissing her.

(Kruger Family Winter Home, Twine Province, Aries)

A platoon of men, wearing snow camouflage, lay in wait surrounding a cottage. Many snipers and machineguns were hidden behind the pines, all of them aimed at the small cottage. A man with more stripes on his shoulders than the others; crawled over to his subordinate. "I read the report. It's been quiet; with the exception of the round that Private Shrock took in his shoulder. And _she_ did _that_ with a bolt action without a scope? If she had enlisted, rather than being an Otome, she would be one of our best," the Sergeant said.

"Her father was the best sniper we ever had, we haven't had one like him since he retired..." the Private said as he remembered attending a lecture where Chiron Kruger, as a guest had not only spoken, but had given a demonstration. It had been the most amazing thing the private had seen, until he had seen the man's daughter shoot.

"Orders are to stay put for now. They aren't sending any Otome squads because they don't know if she can still call her robe or not." the Sergeant said.

There had been a supply line running about a mile and half from here, delivering supplies to the refugees in the Twine Province, but a landslide had forced them to redirect to a road that passed near the cabin. The first few convoys had made it through without incident, but when they made it a regular route, Kruger started firing on them. Luckily, she wasn't shooting to kill and had excellent aim. Both she and the Arian troops had been at a stalemate for close to three weeks now.

"Not to mention, they are all tied up in Serin. So other than watching her shoot out the can my lunch was in, what are we doing?" the Private asked.

"I don't know, but we just get to babysit her for now. She doesn't seem to fire at us unless we encroach on her territory. The Lieutenant calls it a learning experience." The Sergeant said lowering his voice, "Damn kid is so fresh, my boots have seen more combat than him, and he's calling the shots."

A young kid walked over to them, dropping down behind the log with them, when a bullet knocked his hat off his head. "Status?" The Lieutenant asked trying to keep his voice neutral. As he reached for the hat, another round was fired, hitting the hat again. "Almost got me with that one."

"Yesterday, we could stand up. Today, she shoots us for kneeling. With all due respect sir, what is this about?" the Sergeant asked wondering why they cared at all.

The army could easily move the supply route half a mile. Doing so they would avoid going anywhere near this cottage and the less then sane former principal of Garderobe. True, the road half a mile over was narrower, and in worse condition then this one, but least it could be traveled without getting shot at.

"Orders are orders, haven't got anything new since that message from the General. News has been slow with her and the President holed up in a bunker only gods know where." The Lieutenant said trying to pick up his hat again, succeeding this time, looking at the holes in it before putting it back on his head. For safety reasons very few people knew where Yukino was and there were quite a few rumors about where she was.

"It's been like that since the attack." The Sergeant said as he heard a transport roll to a stop behind them and somebody jumped out into the snow with a heavy crunch.

"Private, take a couple of men, and find out who that is. This is a militarized zone, no civilians authorized." The Lieutenant said hardly looking over his shoulder his eyes on the cottage.

"There will be no need. I will settle this stale cake." Haruka said walking over to the men wearing her robe.

"Stalemate," Yukino said from inside the transport. None of the men dared laugh or correct the General's occasional malapropisms; it was a matter of respect…and fear. Haruka Armitage was a woman with a strong, commanding presence, even in civilian clothing.

"Protect the President. We are on our way to a set of bunkers. First, I will take care of this." Haruka said. Looking down at the three men hiding behind the log; her eyes fell on the Lieutenant glancing at his hat. "We _may_ be in the middle of a war, Lieutenant, but if you are going to wear the uniform, wear it properly. Get a new hat."

"Yes, sir…. Ma'am…General!" He said standing up and saluting her as yet another bullet shot the hat off his head. The Lieutenant dove for the ground and proceeded to low crawl back to the camp as Haruka stood there watching him.

"Enough of _this_," Haruka said as she jumped over the snow bank and started lumbering towards the cottage. Several shots hit the snow right in front of Haruka, but she kept walking, "Do it, mutt! Kill me! Better be a head shot though."

"Leave Haruka, why won't you people get it? I just want to be left _alone_," Natsuki said as she shot again, grazing Haruka's ear.

"You want to do that again? It was you that shot at convoys. Not me." Haruka said still walking and ignoring the bullet that just whizzed by her head.

"This land belongs to my family. Your convoys were trespassing." Natsuki said reloading her rifle. "I have the right to protect my land."

"The nation is at war, you stupid mongrel. You know that property lines don't matter, especially deep in these parts!" Haruka said walking to the porch, standing before the door.

The door opened and a pistol was pressed to Haruka's forehead, though Haruka didn't even flinch. Natsuki stood there, her long blue hair pulled into a braid. "Your war has nothing to do with me."

"You need to get that gun out of my face, before something bad happens to you." Haruka said looking at Natsuki rather then the gun.

"I'm the one with my finger on the trigger." Natsuki said as she glanced at the safety which was off.

"Right now, there are about six snipers, who have their sights pointing right at you, from six different angles. I'd rather not get all bloody," Haruka said putting her index finger on the tip of Natsuki's pistol and trying to push it away.

Natsuki quickly hit Haruka across the nose with her pistol, using her as a shield from the snipers, while she pulled them into the cottage, and threw Haruka to the ground slamming the door. She walked over to the window peaking through a crack in the boards covering them. "Okay, Armitage, what's it going to take to get your toys out of here?"

"First of all, tell me what is going on. Next thing I knew after the Tomoe business, my capital was being attacked. What the hell happened?" Haruka said standing up and dusting her robe off.

Natsuki looked around the cabin, "I don't even have cable, so how the hell am I supposed to know?"

"I mean, why is Garderobe lying empty and marred? Where the hell are the other four?" Haruka said walking over to the window, glancing through it, glad that her men were holding their ground.

"Shizuru left probably to screw that green haired bitch, then I left, Nao followed me but she didn't stay. I haven't had any contact since a year ago when I quit," Natsuki replied, anger and resentment thick in her voice.

"The snake left you, Nao tried to be there for you, and you left your school? A laundry list of bad moves, humph and you were the elite…the Columns, how pathetic. Look, Garderobe has been offline since the before the start of the war. Our satellites can't even pick up the Founder anymore." Haruka said trying to spark some sort of interest in Natsuki.

Natsuki moved away from the window, sat in a wooden rocker and put her feet on a coffee table. Haruka followed after her, and sat in another chair across from Natsuki. Haruka watched the former Column pull the slide back, ejecting a round, catching it, all while paying attention to the fact the pistol still had the safety off. "You know, I should have listened to you all those years ago, when you said Shizuru would be nothing but trouble." Natsuki said.

"Look, I don't know what happened between you and Viola and it's not my place to go diving in, never has. You, mongrel, have a responsibility to this world." Haruka said knowing at first she had warned Natsuki against Shizuru, but she had also seen Natsuki change Shizuru. She didn't know completely what happened between the two of them, but there had been many rumors.

"I quit remember. Not my problem anymore." Natsuki said rubbing her ear where her GEM should have been.

"You know you can't do that. The Founder chose you, that bond cannot be forsaken so easily." Haruka said kicking up the coffee table out from under Natsuki and catching the last round ejected from the pistol, "You are a Column and Principal of Garderobe."

"Can and already have. Go find someone who cares," Natsuki said grabbing the round back from Haruka, putting it and the others back in the clip.

"Stop shooting at my men. If you can do that, I'll make sure no one bothers you," Haruka said walking towards the door.

"Keep them off my land," Natsuki said walking to the door, holding it open for Haruka though she made sure to stay out of sight, "I haven't killed anyone yet."

"It's not your land. Argue with me some more and I'll drop you on your mother's door step." Haruka said walking through the open door step. Haruka knew Natsuki and her mother didn't always get along with each other, even if they did have a great deal respect for the other. Saeko Kruger often forgot that Natsuki wasn't her little girl, and had grown up, while Natsuki still felt she had something to prove to her mother. They truly loved each other, but never could spend long amounts of time together before getting on each other's last nerve.

"I meant it, Armitage." Natsuki said as Haruka stopped in the doorway blocking it. She heard several rifles cocked and held her hand up, signaling her men to wait.

"I mean it too, Kruger. I don't want to, but if I have to have you put down, I will. And I don't care how good your sight is. I know you can't materialize, so I can just have one of the squads burn you and this place to the ground." Haruka threatened wondering if she meant it or if it was an idle threat. She hoped she wouldn't have to figure it out.

"Move them back to the main road," Natsuki said. "With all the time you've wasted camping in my front yard, you could have cleared the landslide."

"One road over to the service road, but if the weather is bad, they are back to taking this one. Take it while I'm still feeling generous." Haruka said taking a few steps from the door and turning back to Natsuki.

"Done and no more flyovers," Natsuki said also turning her back, meaning to head into the cottage.

"You start shooting again and I'll start flying over again." Haruka said walking up the hill.

"Haruka.... Do you know where she is?" Natsuki said looking back at Haruka.

"If I did, would you want to know?" Haruka asked wondering if Natsuki and Shizuru were better off apart or together.

"Never mind," Natsuki said walking back in, but leaving the door open.

"Good, 'cause I don't know. My guess would be in the forest." Haruka said walking up the hill to rejoin her men.

The Lieutenant was standing on the top of the hill, broad smile on his face and a brand new hat on his head, "So much for war-time rules of conduct. If I didn't need the men so badly and this was a battlefield, that idiot would be dead," Haruka thought to herself as she returned to her men on the rise.


	3. Chapter 3: Traitors Prisoners Convalesce

**Chapter Three: Traitors, Prisoners and Convalescents**

(Conference Room, Royal Palace, Florence)

Shiho stood behind King Charles, her hand resting over the pocket of her robe. Shiho was trying to be coy, blocking a slight budge in her pocket, while keeping an eye on Tomoe, who was sitting across from her king. Tomoe reached out, taking a goblet of wine, and sipping from it before saying, "I thank you for your patronage good king."

"Quite welcome, Lady Marguerite. I must ask though, how long before my Otome are fitted with the Anti-IVW chip?" King Charles asked because the alliance between them was tense. The king didn't truly trust or agree with Tomoe, but his fear of her armies kept him in line. He knew until his Otome were fitted with a chip that blocked the intravenous waves that Tomoe used he was defenseless. True Garderobe had fitted all the GEMs with one after the attack on Natsuki Kruger but once again Schwarz had managed to crack it again.

"As soon as they swear to obey me, I will have them brought to my base, and they will return with a detachment each," Tomoe said while both Shiho and Rosalie flinched, though Rosalie hid it better.

"These are still my Otome. They are well-trained with their current GEMs; I'll not have them switched to your Dark GEMs," King Charles said sensing the unease in his Otome.

"Nor will they be, but they will come to me when I call them. I am the new Shinso. All will be my children; Fumi Himeno is a forgotten fossil of a forgotten era," Tomoe said in an eerily calm tone before taking another drink.

"Very well, though you may only have one for now," King Charles conceded. "I'll not leave myself unprotected from the Arian scum. They think the world is theirs to run. They'll not have Florence as long as I draw breath," King Charles said contemptuously.

"You needn't worry about them, Charles," Tomoe said angering the king, by referring to him so informally, though he tried not to show it knowing the power she held.

"Shiho, when Lady Marguerite leaves, you will accompany her." King Charles ordered decisively.

"Hai, Master," Shiho said bowing to her king.

"Well then, Lady Marguerite, enjoy some Florentine hospitality while you are here," King Charles said as he stood up and proceeded to leave the room, Shiho and Rosalie following behind.

"Fetch me some hand-maidens, onee-sama," Tomoe said standing to leave in the other direction, laughing as she left.

Shiho growled, and then turned down another hallway, stopping in an alcove. Shiho pulled the recorder from her pocket, along with her maki-maki notebook, hiding the recorder in the book. She didn't notice Rosalie come up behind her.

"Spiral-chan, what are you hiding?" Rosalie asked in a tone of mock concern.

She quickly slipped the recorder into her sleeve and started writing in the book, "Nothing you need to worry about, Rosalie."

"You've been so depressed, no visits from your little spider friend?" Rosalie asked mockingly, as she leaned over the book. Looking at the page, Rosalie noticed her name was written on one side and Tomoe's on the other. Both had quite a few spirals, though Tomoe's page had more.

"There is a bounty on her head, she wouldn't come here." Shiho said not denying her relationship with Nao. Truth was, Shiho didn't know where she stood with Nao, and she hadn't seen her since long before the war started. Nao usually visited once a month, if not more often. She didn't expect Nao to come now, but didn't know why she hadn't before the war. "_You_ know that."

"None of my concern anyway," Rosalie said as she walked away. Shiho turned to walk the other way, dropping her hand to her side. Her thoughts of Nao caused Shiho to forget the recorder, in the pages of the maki-maki notebook, causing it to hit the ground. Rosalie pulled her whip out, snapping the length, bringing the recorder flying into her hand, "What might this be?"

"Give that back, Rosalie," Shiho said, reaching out for the recorder, but Rosalie pulled back holding it just out of Shiho's grasp teasingly.

"Why?" Rosalie asked, holding the recorder in Shiho's face, and then pulling it back.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave my stuff alone?" Shiho hissed.

"Fine," Rosalie said throwing the recorder back to her. Shiho caught the recorder, turned away from Rosalie, and started walking.

"Spiral-chan, do try to hide it better. You'll get caught and quite frankly, even as annoying as you are, I rather have some company," Rosalie said to Shiho's back, noticing a slight flinch.

"Caught doing what?" Shiho asked, looking over her shoulder, seeing Rosalie still walking away. Shiho tucked the recorder into her pocket and walked to her room. Shiho immediately went to her dresser, slid it away from the wall, and opened a cabinet behind the dresser, placing the tape in there wondering how she was going to send it to her contact in Aries. She needed to do it before she left with Tomoe but didn't know how she would get into town without arising any suspicion.

(Kruger Family Winter Home, Twine Province, Aries)

Natsuki sat at the table, cleaning one of her pistols, it was late at night and she heard something. Natsuki grabbed her night vision goggles and went to the window, catching several Arian soldiers nearing the cabin.

"I told Haruka..." Natsuki said quickly putting her pistol back together to give them a warning shot.

Natsuki didn't get the chance as a dark figure crashed through the ceiling, looking at her with deep yellow eyes. "You're trespassing." Natsuki said noticing the figure was a woman, not in an Arian uniform, but rather a robe. The robe looked quite a bit like the Valkyrie uniform that Nagi's Dark Otome wore. Natsuki took a couple shots, hitting the figure twice in the leg.

"Stop wasting rounds," the Valkyrie said wavering a little on her feet, as she extended her halberd to Natsuki's throat, the soldiers entered the house.

"You think I'm going down without a fight? Ask your mistress, I'm not an easy one to kill," Natsuki said as she knocked the halberd away with her pistol, and then rolled off to the side. She grabbed a shot gun and shot towards the soldiers, two of them falling as she continued her roll into a trap door.

When she hit the ground, Natsuki took off running down a tunnel, turning every so often to fire the shotgun. While she was firing a shot, Natsuki didn't see that a Valkyrie had appeared in front of her. The Valkyrie reached out, grabbed Natsuki, slammed her into the wall, and knocked her out.

"Target acquired." The woman said.

The first Valkyrie limped over followed by several soldiers. "Secure the prisoner," she stated as the soldiers bound Natsuki's in full chain restraints. First, they attached leg irons, next came the handcuffs, and then finally the collar around Natsuki's neck where the other two chains hooked and locked into it. The Valkyrie that had been shot leaned down, looked at Natsuki's ear, and noticed she wasn't wearing her GEM.

"No GEM," the Valkyrie said as she waved smelling salts in front of Natsuki waking her up. "Get up."

Natsuki stood up feeling unbalanced she said, "What does your _'lady'_ want? Shizuru isn't here!"

"She wants you, Principal...." The Valkyrie replied with a laugh.

"I am **not** that person anymore," Natsuki defiantly stated.

"I would have delivered your head on a pike if she asked. Not that person anymore? I guess none of us are. You don't even remember me, do you Principal?" The Valkyrie said slamming Natsuki into the wall.

"No one important enough to remember apparently," Natsuki said spitting at the Valkyrie, "Nothing, but _trash_ follows that** lunatic**."

The Valkyrie slammed Natsuki into the wall again, "You are the trash…dirty liar. You **promised** me the fourth Column position and then threw me out on the word of a _twit_."

"Fourth ... the only time that post was on the table was... oh, you were the_ whiny_ one from Annam," Natsuki said as she remembered a promising young pearl from several years ago.

"Come on, Principal, you remember my name. Took me under your wing, tutored me in unarmed combat, and even said I was one of the best you had seen in years." The Valkyrie said pushing Natsuki harder against the wall making her cringe not from being forced against the wall but from her accent being so similar to Shizuru's accent.

"Wells...Alicia," Natsuki said bitterly remembering the feeling of betrayal.

Alicia Wells was a former number one pearl that had been caught cheating. She was a fine student, but the number two pearl had been better until Alicia threatened her. The threat promised failure of several important tests that would then make Alicia the higher ranking student. When Natsuki and the others found out, Alicia had been striped of her rank and expelled.

Alicia spit on Natsuki and turned to walk down the corridor, "Come on, trash, Mein Dame wants to see you."

"So much potential _wasted_," Natsuki said in disgust as she waited to be forced to move, "You know, the one who eventually got the fourth Column position… was only ranked _number three_." The soldiers tugged on the chain around Natsuki's neck, knocking her to her knees, dragging her along roughly until she found her footing.

"I suppose I should thank you. If you had never betrayed me, I never would have become a general in the fiercest Army Earl has ever seen." Alicia said laughing as the soldiers pulled Natsuki's chains.

"I don't care." Natsuki said, "Your mistress, this war, all of it has nothing to do with me."

"You should… when my mistress is done with you, she'll no doubt make your execution public and very painful," Alicia threatened a bit perturbed that Natsuki wasn't fazed by the threat.

"_**Whatever**_." Natsuki said in a flat uncaring voice, continuing her shuffling walk.

(Valkyrie Headquarters, Tomoe's Palace, Florence)

Several hours later, Natsuki was dragged into Tomoe's throne room, and thrown before the green haired woman. "We've captured the Principal as you requested." Alicia said as she forced Natsuki back to the ground, kneeling before Tomoe, with a hit to the back of her knee.

"They really don't make 'Otome' like they used to," Natsuki said with a laugh as she looked up at Tomoe.

"Silence trash," Alicia said reaching over and backhanding Natsuki.

"A bunch of jealous little girls, there isn't a single 'Otome' in this room," Natsuki said spitting at Tomoe's feet, receiving another smack across the face in the process.

Tomoe stood up and walked over to Natsuki. "Not even yourself?" Tomoe said inquisitively, grabbing Natsuki by the ear, lifting her off the ground, and looking for her GEM.

"Looking for something?" Natsuki said as she smirked.

"No GEM, so the rumors are true then. The Great Ice Silver Crystal has turned her back on Garderobe and her Otome." Tomoe laughed.

"I like to think of it as an early retirement." Natsuki said surprising the others with her mirth.

"Ha, if you can last that long, take her to my quarters, and chain her to the wall." Tomoe said as she returned to the throne. "Keep the collar; it's fitting for the filthy mutt that she is."

"How colorful," Natsuki said allowing the soldiers pull her along.

(Tokiha Villa, Cat God Mountain Park, Formally the Black Valley)

Mikoto sat on Sara's chest looking down at her, poking Sara in the chest a few times, "Not soft like Mai," Mikoto said frowning.

"Mikoto, why don't you try sitting next to Sara?" Mai asked taking a rag and rinsing it out in some warm water.

"Because it's waking up," Mikoto said still sitting on Sara as she stirred.

"Mikoto, she has a name," Mai said realizing what it was that Mikoto had just said.

Sara had been here for a while, she had been found in the deserts near the mountain. Mai had been taking care of her, while Mikoto watched, not entirely sure why Sara wouldn't just wake up. Mai quickly turned around and said, "Sara's what?"

"Ow... my head hurts and my chest feels heavy..." Sara said feeling her head with her hand, covering her eyes, and not realizing that Mikoto was sitting on her.

"Mikoto is not heavy!" Mikoto said as she hopped off and a cat dove onto Sara's stomach knocking the wind from her.

"Owwww," Sara whimpered as three more cats pounced on her.

"Out of here, shoo!" Mai said batting the cats away from Sara. Mikoto whistled and then chased the cats out, leaving with them.

"Mai-onee-sama?" Sara asked weakly, sitting up with Mai's help, and coughing as she was upright.

Mai laughed softly and blushed, "Excuse Mikoto."

"How did I get here? Last thing I remember is being in Aries, trying to get to the Hexagon, but it must have just fallen." Sara asked still rubbing her aching head.

"You've been asleep for about three months. Prior to being here you were wandering in the desert for who knows how long." Mai said handing her a glass of a strange purple liquid, "It smells bad and I don't know what it tastes like, but Mikoto says it will give you strength."

"What? How?" Sara said taking a drink slowly, afraid it would taste horrible, but she was surprised that it tasted a little like Cardairan mead, "The President, was she in the Hexagon?"

"No one can find her or Haruka-onee-sama," Mai said, wanting to say more, but Sara cut her off.

"They got out though? If only I had my robe I could have warned them in time...." Sara said remembering that day. She and Itsuko had been on their way to the Hexagon, to warn the President of an attack, but had been too late. They found out about the attack only days before and rushed from Cardair to Aries. Sara wished she could have used her cell phone, but the line had gone dead the day before they found out about Tomoe's plan.

"They were able to escape," Mai said taking the empty cup from Sara and setting it back on the table. "They travel around Aries in the Suzushiro. The country is in ruins and they are fighting on every side."

"The Principal, Garderobe…" Sara said thoughts taking shape, "Tomoe no doubt would attack them."

"All the other Columns are missing. Natsuki and Shizuru-onee-sama never returned." Mai said looking down, "Tomoe attacked Garderobe in conjunction with Aries."

"Nao and Itsuko?" Sara asked wondering if the block on her cell phone had been Tomoe's doing.

"Nao has been sighted a few times but that was months ago. Itsuko is in hiding, we think. She could be dead, but we don't know. Natsuki was in Aries," Mai said stopping Sara from trying to get up.

"Garderobe?" Sara asked, trying to patch the holes in her memory. "The Principal's still holed up in Aries?"

"The rumor is that she was captured and is being used as bait for the Archmeister," Mai said, news was slow reaching round Earl.

Most of the countries were in such poor state, news was infrequent, but news of Natsuki's capture had spread like wildfire. Mai couldn't help but think it was a trick to lure Shizuru out of hiding. What she couldn't understand was why Shizuru had done nothing. She knew that whatever had happened between the two of them wasn't so great that Shizuru wouldn't come after Natsuki.

"Any sightings of Shizuru…?" Sara asked as Mai shook her head. "I need to do something..."

Mai pushed Sara back down again. She was trying to sit up and Mai made her lay down saying, "No, you are in no condition to do anything. Not yet anyway and until then, stay put."


	4. Chapter 4: Memories Lost

Chapter Four: Memories Lost

(Outside the Township of Finden, Annam)

A royal caravan approached a small campsite composed of several wooden wagons and a few tents ranging in size from small to large. The caravan stopped when it reached the camp causing a brown haired woman to lean out of a tent. Upon hearing the cars pull up, she stepped out, wearing a long brown dress with a light green shirt, and walked over to another tent.

"Rokus, a caravan approaches!" Satori said.

A man in uniform got out of the car, "Who is in charge here?"

"This is my troupe," a tall man said in introduction as he walked out of the tent the girl had just entered, "I am Rokus Wadelle."

"Her Imperial Highness, Ein-hime-dono, demands an audience with you performer," the man said as he lead Rokus back to the car, following behind him calm and composed.

"Of course," Rokus said as the guard opened the door, closed it behind him, and Rokus now sat facing Ein. "My Princess," Rokus said as he bowed his head.

"How is she?" Ein asked holding the letter Rokus had sent her. He had been sending her letters since Shizuru first arrived, giving Ein updates on how his niece was doing. Rokus had hoped in time she would remember, but so far nothing. With the latest news of the Principal's capture Rokus and Ein feared they no longer had the luxury of waiting.

"Well, but she is still having trouble with her memory, she remembers nothing of who she really is." Rokus said regrettably.

"How did you find her?" Ein asked even though she knew. She cared a great deal about Shizuru, had read every letter many times over, though she hadn't been able come see her. War hadn't completely broken out in Annam, but every so often Tomoe's forces would enter her lands testing the boundaries. Unfortunately for Aries and Cardair but good for Annam Tomoe was too busy trying to take over or in Aries' case destroy the other nations.

"She came to us, though when I addressed her as my niece she was confused. She claimed I was her brother. I remember how close she was to you, I've been writing ever since, your Highness," Rokus said remembering that Shizuru had met the princess briefly before attending Garderobe though neither knew the impact they would have on the other's life.

"I would almost like to leave her. There is only one place I've seen her happier then here. I fear she may never be able to go back there." Ein said looking out at the young woman with long brown hair. She was hanging laundry, not paying attention to the car. For a brief second her red eyes made contact with the Princess' eyes, but the tint of the windows blocked their actual meeting.

"Hai, she is happy, but she is not how she should be. My sister died many years ago. As is she is now, she is living a lie. That is not good for the soul and heart." Rokus said looking out the window as well at the woman.

"After you exit, my guards will put her in another car. I need time before confronting her again," Ein said keeping her eyes on the woman. She still cared a great deal for Shizuru and feared that she didn't have the strength to resist taking the confused Shizuru for herself. Pushing Shizuru away all those years ago was the right thing, but she still regretted losing the younger woman.

"What should I tell her?" Rokus asked. He hated playing these games pretending that this girl was his sister. He knew it wasn't right not for her or any of them.

"Tell her that she is to meet an old friend," Ein said gesturing to the guard to open the door.

"Aye, my Princess," Rokus said bowing his head to her again then stepping out of the car.

(Dinning Room, Royal Palace, Annam)

The young woman from the camp sat at a long table waiting for quite some time. The guards had brought her here at least a half hour ago, if not a full hour. Ein walked into the room, stopped short of the table with a folder tucked under her arm. The woman stood quickly from the chair she was sitting in, and then knelt before Ein bowing her head. "Your Highness, it is an honor," the woman said surprised that the Princess of Annam was the 'old friend' that the guards and Rokus had told her about. She had performed for the royal family many years ago but had never been introduced to the Princess.

"Please Shiz…. Satori sit," Ein said helping the woman to stand properly. Then as they both sat Ein said, "Tell me about yourself."

"My name is Satori Wadelle, I was born in the Northern Province, and have been with the Cat's Eye gypsies my entire life," Satori said sitting up straight, hands folded on the table before her, and her legs crossed at the ankles.

"I hear that your memory troubles you?" Ein asked noticing that Shizuru was sitting much like they had been instructed to at Garderobe. Most people unaccustomed to being around royalty either sat straight as a board or fidgeted. Garderobe trained their girls to have a relaxed posture, yet still proper.

"Forgive me, Princess, but my memory is just fine." Satori said wondering why everyone thought she was having memory problems, insisting she was someone else. She also wondered why the Princess of Annam was interested in _her_.

"Then you won't mind if I test you?" Ein said opening the folder and looking down at the pages in it. She had been gathering the contents of this folder for several weeks now. Ein had hoped that it wouldn't have to come down to this, but she knew that there was no other option.

"If her Highness, so desires I am her servant." Satori said bowing her head again.

"Very well," Ein said sliding the first page in front of Satori. It was a page from a Garderobe year book, "Who is that?"

"I believe I read about her years ago, that is Shizuru Viola." Satori said looking at the picture of the young girl standing next to a blonde, "And I believe that is Haruka Armitage."

"I see." Ein said as she took out the next page, this one being a picture from Natsuki's class yearbook, "And her?"

"I'm afraid I do not recognize her." Satori said looking at the girl thinking she was quite cute. A light blush crossed her face as looking at this girl caused intense feelings though she didn't understand why.

"Are you sure?" Ein asked as she placed a photo of both of them, right after Natsuki's graduation. They were in a standing pose wearing their Meister Robes. "What do you think of this one?"

"The woman is still not familiar, but that stone, I believe it is the Ice Silver Crystal." Satori said pointing to the earring in the woman's left ear.

Ein nodded then took out a photo of Tomoe in her coral dress and asked in a cool voice, "How about her?"

"No, I'm sorry, I don't," Satori said as intense feelings of anger and rage built up in her, even though she couldn't remember who this girl was, "Princess, might I ask the reasoning behind these questions?"

"Please bear with me," Ein said pulling out several photos of Natsuki after she was attacked by Tomoe, a few newspaper articles slid forward also, including one with the headline 'Murder at Garderobe' and another that read 'Headmistress Fakes Death'

"I had heard something of the Headmistress of Garderobe being wounded and faking her death to bring her attacker out into the open," Satori said pausing to think.

"Anything else?" Ein asked hoping something as tragic as this would draw out some memories.

"This wasn't that long ago. I pray her wounds have healed, though since she is an Otome I would imagine they have," Satori said worry on her face.

"Might I ask how you know, how long ago?" Ein asked staring at Satori's face hoping for a glimmer of anything.

"How long ago the Headmistress was attacked?" Satori asked wondering herself why she knew. She surmised a person as important as the Headmistress of Garderobe would no doubt be news for many weeks, at least, after the events. "I'm not sure within the last year… maybe two years ago."

"One more," Ein said taking out a picture Natsuki lying on an operating table, her eyes glassed over, and golden orbs forming around her prone body. This was a photo from a video Irina Woods had created to prove the Headmistress' death.

"Oh my..." Satori said as she covered her mouth.

"Tell me, what she was thinking? Who was she calling out to in her mind?" Ein asked thinking if anything could bring Shizuru back, it was her love for Natsuki.

Shizuru may have been once loved her, but it was nothing compared to the love she had for Natsuki. It was that love that forced Ein to help Shizuru now. She could easily seduce Shizuru here and now, never having to mention Natsuki again, but Ein knew that was wrong. Whatever problems Shizuru and Natsuki were having, they could get through them. Shizuru and Natsuki were meant to be together however much it hurt Ein to admit the truth.

"I imagine someone she loved. I've heard rumors that she was involved with the Graceful Amethyst." Satori said. Without noticing, she reached up to her left ear, playing with a lock of hair that revealed her pierced ear. Her father had never allowed her to pierce her ears so when she entered Garderobe only the left one was done.

"Look into her eyes, they look hurt, and somehow even betrayed don't they?" Ein said pointing to the picture focusing on Natsuki's eyes.

"They do, my Princess." Satori agreed with the princess.

"Who betrayed her?" Ein asked now thinking that only Shizuru would know what pained Natsuki. Shortly after Natsuki had faked her death, Shizuru had sent Ein several letters asking her for help. She wouldn't go into detail, only stating she had done something wrong that she was afraid to tell Natsuki about. Ein had advised her to be honest with the one she loved.

"I can't say, that is a very private matter," Satori said not knowing exactly what it was but feeling it was something private.

"Saying that means you know," Ein asked, "If you don't know either the Ice Silver Crystal or the Graceful Amethyst, how do you know it is a private matter?"

"I don't understand, your Highness?" Satori asked confused, she didn't understand how she knew.

"Saying that you can't and that it very private, means that you know something, something above basic knowledge," Ein said trying to retain her composure.

Shizuru's letters told Ein that she had done something _wrong_, something she felt was _unforgivable_. The relationship that Ein and Shizuru shared was an open one, nothing like the one Shizuru had with Natsuki. Ein remembered when Shizuru was a young Pearl, all the letters Shizuru had sent asking for help. The poor Pearl couldn't understand why Natsuki would get so angry when she flirted with others. It was this memory that led Ein to believe that the rumors of Shizuru and Tomoe had quite a bit of truth in them. Cheating was the one act Shizuru thought was unforgivable, in Natsuki's eyes, no matter the circumstance.

"There have been many rumors, but no one knows the truth, except those involved," Ein stated as she pushed a little harder on Shizuru, hoping to spark the memories.

"I am only assuming this, I could be wrong. Anyone can make an assumption," Satori said defensively trying to make sense of this. Her eyes drawn again to the photos, though she focused more on the year book photos, then the newspapers articles and faked death photos.

"Yes, anyone could, but then _you_ would have said it _differently_," Ein continued the pretense of royalty dropping from her demeanor.

"What are you _inferring_?" Satori said still looking at the photos. Briefly, she looked at the ones of Natsuki dying, and then quickly back to the other ones.

Ein noticed Satori glancing between the photos almost afraid to look at the latter ones, "You were there. You can't bare the sight of her like that." Ein said tapping the one of Natsuki's death sliding it in front of Satori again.

"Forgive me for being uneasy looking at a dead woman." Satori said knowing that wasn't the real reason.

"You give me no other choice," Ein said tired of the game. She closed her eyes, wishing she didn't have to do this, as she leaned across the table and kissed Satori. At first Satori struggled, but after a while she returned the kiss unaware of her hands trailing down Ein's sides.

Ein broke off the kiss, leaning back, and touching her lips. It had been so long since she kissed Shizuru, she had forgotten what it felt like, "I was running out of ideas."

"Forgive me, your Highness.... I don't know what possessed me," Satori said as the lingering feeling of the kiss seemed very familiar to her.

Ein paused, shaking her head, and then leaned forward again, kissing her deeply this time. Satori felt herself flush a deep red and couldn't help but to return such a passionate kiss. "Ein....Princess…," Satori said as Ein continued kissing her neck until Satori pulled away, "This seems familiar, like we've done this before."

"You have many times, Shizuru-chan," Ein said her hand still on Satori's cheek, rubbing it softly, remembering how soft Shizuru's skin had felt.

"Shizuru-chan...," Satori said leaning into Ein's hand, taking a deep inhaling breath of Ein's scent before asked, "I've kissed you before?"

"Yes, we were lovers until I graduated. That was before I let you go, before you became Natsuki's." Ein said her hand still caressing Satori's cheek, "You love _her_."

"Natsuki…? Natsuki Kruger? I thought she was with Shizuru Viola?" Satori asked sounding confused, her hand falling to her hip, resting on it as if covering something up.

"You _**are**_ Shizuru Viola." Ein stated firmly shocking Satori. Ein grabbed her skirt pulling it down grabbing her underwear as well pulling it down just enough to expose a blue rose with Natsuki's name written below it, "You_ are_ Shizuru. This proves it; Natsuki Kruger has one just like it." Ein remembered seeing a photo in the Otome Inquirer about a young new Column even though the photo was recanted in the next issue saying it wasn't the new Archmeister, she also remembered going for her reviews that year and Shizuru showing off the tattoo saying it hadn't hurt as much as she thought.

"This sounds familiar, but it doesn't feel right." Satori said feeling lost and confused, grabbing the hem of her skirt and pulling it over the tattoo.

She never fully knew where she had gotten the tattoo and figured that it was the result of a drunken night. Satori flirted all the time with girls from the towns they visited. Satori thought maybe she drank too much one night and that perhaps there was a girl out there with _her_ name on her hip as well. She had considered several times to get the tattoo edited, to cover the name, but she hadn't and didn't know why. She also didn't realize that she flirted with others, but had never taken any of them into her bed.

"That is because you belong with _her_," Ein said with a sigh then glanced over to Satori, "Not in the woods, **here**, playing a gypsy."

"But I've…I've never even met her. She's from Twine Province in Aries, I've never been there," Satori said shaking her head and wondering how she knew where Natsuki was from.

"Twine you say?" Ein said looking up at Shizuru. It was well known that Natsuki Kruger was from Aries, but it was a common mistake that most assumed she was from the capital. Natsuki had been born in the Twine province, but shortly after her younger sister Alyssa had been born, the family moved to the capital spending only summers in their home in the Twine Province. A magazine had run an article about her shortly after she had become a Column saying she was from the capital and Natsuki had never corrected it. "And how would you know?"

Satori looked confused, "I must have read it somewhere."

"That's not common knowledge and would take some effort to figure out." Ein said, "You see years ago, a magazine stated she was from the capital, and Natsuki never corrected it. Very few outside her inner circle know she is from the Twine Province. Natsuki has always been a private person and never indulged the media when they pried into her life. She rather they believe she was from a large city instead of a…" Ein said trailing off, pretending she couldn't remember to see if Satori would finish for her.

"A ranch…..I think," Satori said as Ein nodded. Satori then shook her head again pressing her hands to her temples this time. Everything was so familiar yet it was muddled. She knew things she shouldn't it was almost like she had lived this life. "I...I never met her.... I think..." Satori stuttered as her thoughts, memories, swirled reaching out.

"You turned me down." Ein lied, hurting inside from the sound of the words.

Satori reached out stroking Ein's cheek, "You are lying, I never would turn you down." Satori tried to push all these foreign memories and feelings away using her flirting as an escape route. Satori flirted quite a bit and it was easy to fall into flirtations to avoid thinking about everything Ein had said.

"I stepped aside because you deserved better then me." Ein said feeling her emotions war inside her, "What we had wasn't love. It was close, but it wasn't love."

"I don't remember_ ever_ being hers. I'm here now, and you are here," Satori said as leaned forward inches from Ein's mouth her breath brushing on Ein's lips ready to kiss but leaving that last gasp for Ein to take.

Ein stared at Satori, seeing a fire in her eyes that she hadn't seen in years, at least not aimed at her. "I will not!" Ein shouted and then she started to cry. "Why do you keep hurting me? Shizuru! Why?"

"Shizuru?" Satori questioned inches away from Ein, again that name, now feeling more familiar than it had previously.

Satori was knocked back when Ein pulled away and slapped her, "You just stop it!"

Satori held her cheek, "Forgive me, Princess." She said as she reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Don't you touch me! Snake!" Ein shouted as she stood, knocking Satori's chair over, and taking the girl with it, "Natsuki loves you and you dishonor her with this farce!"

"Farce? How can I dishonor someone I don't even know?" Satori asked very confused lying still on the ground.

"Stop lying!" Ein said holding a letter to Satori's face, "_You_ wrote this to me after you met, Natsuki."

"This is my handwriting," Satori said taking the letter and reading it as Ein stood up and walked back to the table.

"It is your writing and it isn't all the proof I have," Ein said taking out a sheet of paper, looking over the death certificate briefly, before she handed it to Satori who had stood up, "You can't be Satori Wadelle. She's been dead for over ten years."

"This can't be.... that date...." Satori said as she started crying. She then took a photograph from Ein, of a young girl with her mother, the same photo Satori carried in her pocket. Her photo had the names Satori and Shizuru written on the back and she had thought the older woman was herself and the younger girl a niece or something.

"She died leaving behind a husband and a child. A daughter that looked just like her and that child's name was…" Ein said being cut off by Satori.

"Shizuru...." Satori finished for her.

"So you can't be Satori," Ein said upset that she had to remind her of her mother's death, but happy that Shizuru was starting to remember. Shizuru's mother had died shortly before she had entered Garderobe and she hadn't taken it well.

"She hated Wind," Satori said reading that the death certificate was issued in Wind.

"A dear friend told me that once, but at the time my friend could not understand why someone could die for such things. Now she knows why," Ein said remembering that Shizuru's mother had left her people. Satori had fallen in love with a man and followed him to a strange land.

"She always said there were too many buildings and not enough trees," Satori said wiping a tear from her eye and then had taken her necklace in her hand.

"Now such things trouble her no more. Do not take that from her." Ein said seeing Satori break down, and then pulling her in her arms, "Welcome back, Shizuru-chan, and not a moment to soon."

"Ein..." Shizuru said grabbing Ein and crying.

"Any longer and _I_ would have lost it," Ein said as she tried to hold back her own feelings while embracing Shizuru and gently patting her back.

"I've hurt you so many times." Shizuru said gently caressing Ein's cheek. "I'll always love you, Ein."

"I'm happy, but there is another who is far more important," Ein said sliding out of the folder a photo of Natsuki being dragged away by two Valkyrie.

"Natsuki, where is she?" Shizuru asked grabbing the photo thinking that one of the Valkyrie pulling her looked familiar but she couldn't place her.

"She was in Aries," Ein replied, she had been keeping track of Natsuki. This photo came from one of Aries' patrols, shortly after Natsuki had been captured, "Tomoe has her."

"Tomoe? How long?" Shizuru said standing up looking to the door, feeling an overwhelming need to rush off to Aries.

"A week almost two," Ein said glad to see Shizuru back, even though it hurt her that she had lost Shizuru, but still glad to have her friend back.

"Ein, please I need a favor." Shizuru said.

"Yes," Ein said standing, "Anything for you."

"Take me to her," Shizuru replied as Ein nodded, took her hand, and lead her out of the room. Ein once again mentally prepared to give away the only woman she had ever loved.

_Author Notes: There you know some of what happened to Shizuru as well as a few teasers of her past. Someday we are going to put out a story of when Shizuru and Natsuki were students. We hope you are enjoying the story so far and we know it might be a little confusing at first but the more you read the more you will see what has happened._


	5. Chapter 5: Reunions

**Chapter Five: Reunions**

_Author Notes: This chapter is a little graphic and has some angst in it so be forewarned._

(Throne Room, Valkyrie Headquarters, Florence)

A girl wearing a dark colored Meister uniform that looked more like a robe walked into a massive chamber. Her footsteps were quiet as she approached what appeared to be a throne made of gold and silver. She knelt before it, her dark tresses falling to the sides of her face. "Mein Dame," the girl said.

"Report," Tomoe said sitting sideways on the throne, playing with a dangling earring in her left ear.

"Our second and third teams are back in base with less then twenty percent of casualties. We still have a partial platoon and a full company who have not even been mobilized," the Valkyrie said.

"Who called the retreat in Aries?" Tomoe asked rather harshly.

"The situation turned against us so one of our generals pulled us back," the Valkyrie replied still kneeling and shivering at the growl Tomoe gave.

"Pull in some of those reserve units. I want that hill back by sundown tomorrow." Tomoe said.

"As ordered Mein Dame," the Valkyrie said as she stood and saluted before she turned to leave the room.

"Have the General that retreated come see me," Tomoe sneered causing the Valkyrie stop in her place, swallowing hard. She turned back, nodded, and then bowed, before she turned back and continued walking glad that she wasn't that general; tomorrow there surely would be an opening for a new commander of that region.

Tomoe stood and walked behind the throne, she pressed on a plate in the wall, and opened a door leading to her private quarters. She walked in and saw Natsuki sitting against a wall, a collar around her neck, and both hands chained above her head. Tomoe, after first, had only chained Natsuki to the wall by her neck. Natsuki attempted to attack Tomoe, nearly succeeding in taking the key from her. Tomoe took no further chances and ordered her hands chained also.

"I hope you get crushed. Your strategy stinks," Natsuki hissed pulling on the chains.

The wall she was cuffed to was also part of the throne room and she could hear through it. Tomoe had chained her to this wall specifically, so when she decided to have a little fun and torture Natsuki, those in the other room could hear her scream. As it was now, the clothes Natsuki was wearing were torn and stained with blood, mostly on her back where Tomoe had taken a whip to her.

"Where does strategy come in when by sheer numbers we can crush anything?" Tomoe asked walking by Natsuki and roughly kicking her in the leg.

"You know nothing of tactics and never would have gotten this far if I were in the game." Natsuki said not even flinching from the kick adding yet another bruise to her already battered body.

"I guess I'm fortunate that you took an extended vacation then, aren't I?" Tomoe queried leaning down, pushing on Natsuki's forehead just hard enough to make her head hit the wall, "Yes, most fortunate, that you are now chained to a wall, instead of aiding my enemies."

"For now, I _**am**_ a very_ patient_ woman," Natsuki said twisting her arm in the cuff; it wasn't tight on her wrist. Natsuki thought if she could position her hand just right, the cuff might be able to be slid off, though she was unsure if it actually would. Most likely, it would hurt, but she was sure she could do it if she needed to, even if it meant breaking a bone or two.

"Be patient then," Tomoe said laughing "It seems _**no one**_ is coming for you."

"Never said I _needed_ rescuing. I have no fear of you, nothing more than a poor misguided Coral, _still_. You couldn't kill me before, I doubt you can now," Natsuki said referring to nearly two years ago, Tomoe had broken into Garderobe mostly to look around, but instead found Natsuki and attempted to kill her. Tomoe had thought she had, but it was just a ruse as Natsuki had faked her death.

"Just a small miscalculation…unlike then though, I need you alive. Still, doesn't mean I can't have some fun with you," Tomoe said grabbing Natsuki by the chin, forcing her to stand. She drew her nail along Natsuki's check softly at first, but then cut her.

Natsuki spit in Tomoe's face, ignoring the blood trailing down her cheek, "I don't know what it is you still want from me. I don't have your precious onee-sama. That **harlot** ran off somewhere, not likely she'll come after me."

"You've lied to me before; forgive me for not trusting you. I know full well how you've tricked her into loving you. As we speak I have my people 'leaking' news of your capture. It is only a matter of time before the news reaches her," Tomoe said wiping the spit off her cheek, and then licking it off her finger.

"_Tricked her_? _**She fucked you, she betrayed me, with you**_!" Natsuki shouted as she struggled against her chains, fire coursing through her veins.

"Unlike some, I never forced myself on her. Tell me, Kruger, when you got her back did she ever scream my name instead of yours?" Tomoe asked tracing her nail down Natsuki's other cheek, though not hard enough to cut her this time.

"You never came up, must have been a** poor** performer," Natsuki said as she smirked, "And _I never_ forced myself on her."

"Onee-sama has always been so proper she wouldn't have discussed our relations. Perhaps you never did psychically, but she never loved you. Cared for, but not loved. Her love for you was an act and I think we both know how _good_ of an actress she is." Tomoe said leaning in and licking the blood off Natsuki's cheek.

Natsuki cringed, leaning back into the wall, trying to get away, but unable to. Even though it hurt her back to push away, Natsuki did rather then have to be near Tomoe. The green haired girl sensing this, in Natsuki, stepped forward pressing her whole body into Natsuki, "You know what? You are probably right. But then she's never loved you either."

"Time will tell. I'll admit it couldn't have been all that bad with you. You are quite pleasing on the eyes and I am rather bored with all of this. Perhaps you could help me pass the time," Tomoe said pressing more into Natsuki as she was stroking her cheek, and then leaning in, kissing her.

"You won't break me. You won't find me easy like Shizuru," Natsuki hissed between kisses, angry that Tomoe had this power over her. Natsuki felt Tomoe force her tongue into her mouth and thought of biting down, but the hand stroking her cheek was now griping her chin, preventing her from such action.

"I have no intention of breaking you. I want you to fight it, more entertaining this way," Tomoe continued as she pushed her leg between Natsuki's. She licked Natsuki's bleeding cheek one more time, and then moved down to biting her neck.

"I doubt you could do the job anyway," Natsuki said bringing her knee up, hitting Tomoe in the side.

"Nice try, Kruger," Tomoe hissed, rabbit punching Natsuki in the kidney, "You will be surprised Onee-sama has taught me quite a few things."

Tomoe leaned forward kissing her again, holding her chin in one hand, while she forced her tongue in Natsuki's mouth again. Natsuki struggled against Tomoe for a while, until Tomoe bit down on Natsuki's lip drawing blood. "You like it rough don't you?" Natsuki remained quiet while Tomoe started licking the blood off. "I thought you said you wouldn't break? Where is that fire you had? Or are you really an Ice Queen and just as cold in bed? No wonder Onee-sama left you."

"Let me out of these chains and I'll show you how much ice can _**burn**_," Natsuki said struggling again.

Tomoe reached into her pocket, pulled out a key, and removed one of Natsuki's hands, tossing the key onto a table out of reach. "So you do want to play?" Tomoe said allowing the cuff fall; her eyes level with Natsuki's.

"I could snap your neck with two fingers and my thumb." Natsuki said reaching up and grabbing Tomoe by the neck, though she didn't squeeze.

"Then do it." Tomoe stated tilting her head up, allowing Natsuki more room. She waited and when Natsuki didn't do anything, she roughly grabbed Natsuki's breast causing her to wince.

Natsuki released her hold on Tomoe's neck, grabbed onto Tomoe's hand, and pinched the webbing between her thumb and index finger forcing her to let up. She pushed Tomoe back enough, and then slammed her head forward hitting Tomoe.

"Good fight me!" Tomoe said punching Natsuki in the same kidney, forcing her back into the wall gasping.

She moved to kiss Natsuki again but a Valkyrie entered the room. "Mein Dame, our scouts report that Lady Viola is nearing the perimeter."

Tomoe looked over to the Valkyrie who seemed disgusted, but didn't say anything. The green haired dictator smirked at the Valkyrie and turned back to Natsuki stroking her hand down her cheek, "Afraid Kruger?"

"Not really, I'm just surprised you wasted your time." Natsuki said pressing her hand against Tomoe's chest trying to push her away, but was unable to.

"A waste, that's what you are," Tomoe said before she punched Natsuki in the kidney, yet again, forcing Natsuki to yell out in pain, drop to her knees, now supported only by the chain around her hand and the one around her neck. Tomoe smiled as she followed the Valkyrie from the room.

The Valkyrie held her hand to her ear, listening, and then said, "Lady Viola has been apprehended." Both looked over to the door, watching as Shizuru was led in by two other Valkyrie.

"Tomoe," Shizuru said pulling her hands away from the two guards, standing on her own, even though she had a chain on both her wrists and the guards held on tight.

"Leave us!" Tomoe ordered, one of the Valkyrie bound Shizuru's hands together, and then handed the chain and key to Tomoe before all left the room. "You are dressed like a gypsy? Very intelligent, I would expect nothing less from you, Onee-sama. What better place to hide then in plain sight. I imagine quite a few of my troops attended your shows and didn't have a clue."

"You have me, let her go," Shizuru said glancing around the room, knowing Tomoe would keep Natsuki somewhere near by.

"Who might you be referring to? I have no one," Tomoe snickered, tugged on the chain, and pulled Shizuru closer to her.

"Kruger, she is of no use to us," Shizuru said reaching up stroking Tomoe's cheek, the chains around her wrists clinking.

"You mean my new pet?" Tomoe said watching Shizuru's face for any signs of flinching, though Shizuru showed no emotion her mask firmly in place. "No, Onee-sama, I have grown quite accustomed to her 'barking'. Matter of fact, I was having a little fun with her before you decided to drop in."

"Tomoe..." Shizuru said stepping even closer leaning near, ready to kiss her, until Tomoe pressed her finger to Shizuru's lips.

"Not here. It's just not proper," Tomoe said releasing the chain, but leaving her hands bound before she led her into the back room where Natsuki was still chained to the wall. "I want you to cry out for me, in front of her, just like you did all those years ago. I want her to see that she never meant anything to you."

Shizuru looked at Tomoe and saw Natsuki out of the corner of her eye. She quickly punched Tomoe in the side, alternating to the other side when she turned to drop Tomoe on the ground and leap towards Natsuki. "Natsuki... my sweet," Shizuru said as Natsuki remained silent looking away from Shizuru, "Please... Forgive me."

Tomoe stood up and walked over to Shizuru, but was kicked back down as Shizuru thrust her leg out behind her hitting Tomoe square in the stomach. "Come here." Natsuki said waving towards Shizuru. Shizuru walked towards her, and then fell into Natsuki clinging tight to her. Natsuki raised Shizuru's head, slapped her and then immediately backhanded her before she spit on her. "Snake!"

"I should have told you. I know it's just..." Shizuru said as Tomoe grabbed her throwing her against the bed, grabbing a cuff and attaching it around Shizuru's ankle. This one was different from the others instead of iron, it was made of gold. Tomoe took the other cuffs off her letting them drop to the ground. "Those are beneath you, but I can't trust you," Tomoe said stroking Shizuru's ankle.

"I have nothing to say to you. I gave you everything, my love, my loyalty to you, and this is how you repay me," Natsuki hissed.

"Touching," Tomoe said as she sat on the edge of the bed, "See she doesn't want you, Onee-sama. Let go of your illusions of love and let me show you what it really is."

"No, it isn't true, Natsuki… please." Shizuru pleaded with her former lover, sliding away from Tomoe, but the green haired girl held the chain.

"I will never forgive you and I will hate you forever. I'll never look upon you with love again!" Natsuki shouted.

Shizuru pulled away from Tomoe, backing all the way against the wall, and then looked at Natsuki in shock and on the edge of tears, "I never loved her, Natsuki you have to believe me. You are the only woman in my heart. What I did with her was wrong and I have never felt as dirty as I did during that time."

"Then why? Why do it?" Natsuki said leaning back against the wall.

"Natsuki.... puppy…" Shizuru said as Tomoe crawled over to her, but she pushed Tomoe away trying to go even further back against the wall.

"Don't call me that." Natsuki said then started crying. "Why…why did you?"

"For you," Shizuru said her mask breaking as she started to cry.

"That's not good enough. You defiled yourself for me? You were supposed to be mine!" Natsuki hissed. "That didn't make any sense over a year ago and it still doesn't make any sense now."

"You have something she'll never have. Something no one, not even Ein, has ever owned," Shizuru said looking to Natsuki, but she only stood there crying and refusing to look at Shizuru. "You have my love, my heart and my soul."

"I don't know if I still can..." Natsuki said getting cut off by Tomoe, who backhanded Shizuru.

"Behave, Onee-sama," Tomoe said as she turned to Shizuru, gently stroking her hand on the check she just struck, "Touching really, but you don't have to pretend anymore."

Natsuki strained against her chains, even though she was furious at Shizuru, seeing Tomoe hurt her made her blood boil. She couldn't understand why after all Shizuru had done, she thought she would be glad to see Shizuru hurt, like she had hurt Natsuki, but it didn't. Tomoe pulled a gun from her belt, pointing it at Natsuki, who was still struggling against the chains, their metal hitting the wall making a loud clanging noise, "Settle down mutt."

"Piss off. You haven't got the gall to shoot me." Natsuki said staring at Tomoe as the trigger was pulled back and the hammer fell forward with a deafening sound.


	6. Chapter 6: Confusion, to Love or to Hate

Chapter Six: Confusion, to Love or to Hate?

_Author Notes: Sorry it is a day late I got distracted yesterday and forgot to post the chapter. I try to do it every Thursday but yesterday I have no excuse except I forgot. Also this chapter earns the story's M rating, there is violence and forced sex in it, so if you don't like that sort of thing don't read. Anyway this is the last chapter in the first arc. The next chapter will take us back and start explaining how Earl became how it is now._

(Tomoe's Chambers, Valkyrie Headquarters, Florence)

"You really think that?" Tomoe said as she fired the gun grazing Natsuki's right arm.

Shizuru shouted, "No!" then grabbed at Tomoe trying to pull her away but was only backhanded again. Tomoe hardly took her eyes from Shizuru still holding the gun aimed on Natsuki. A smile cracked on her face as she saw a fresh trail of blood drip down Natsuki's arm. The former principal didn't cry out in pain but you could tell by the look on her face that it hurt quite a bit.

"You couldn't hit the broad side a barn with a fifty caliber machine gun and three spotters!" Natsuki mocked still not moving as it the bullet that grazed her arm was nothing more then a rubber dart from a child's toy.

Tomoe scowled then shot Natsuki in the leg, "I wanted you feisty but not now there is a time and place for it you mangy mutt." She let out a chuckle seeing yet another pool of blood appear on Natsuki's left thigh.

"Flesh wound. Natsuki said even though she was wincing. Both her arm and her leg throbbed in pain but Natsuki was determined to not show any weakness to Tomoe.

"Stop it.... please." Shizuru sobbed as she pleaded with Tomoe who still held the gun on Natsuki. Tomoe ignored Shizuru moving the gun up and down as if deciding where to shoot Natsuki next. She settled the sights on Natsuki's forehead causing Shizuru to sit up though she didn't touch Tomoe this time. Her gaze moved to Natsuki pleading with her eyes for Natsuki not to enrage Tomoe anymore. "Please, Natsuki I'm sorry I'm so sorry."

Tomoe let out a chuckle firing the gun again this time hitting the wall next to Natsuki's head covering her face with plaster. Shizuru let out a startled scream but Natsuki didn't even move. "Does it make you feel like a woman? Marguerite? To shoot me like a chained animal?" Natsuki continued goading Tomoe while totally ignoring Shizuru who glanced between the two of them neither paying any attention to her.

"Natsuki stop please...." Shizuru said looking at her then tugged on the chain on her ankle trying to judge the length. Taking a chance she stood from the bed positioning herself between the two of them.

"Stay out of this. You've caused enough problems already." Natsuki said tearing a strip from her shirt struggling to do it with a hand still chained to the wall. It took her a few times but she tied the cloth around her leg. She growled when she was finished and looked up seeing that Shizuru was still between them. That was until Tomoe grabbed the chain pulling Shizuru to the ground then taking hold of Shizuru by the hair dragging her back onto the bed.

Tomoe let go of her then gently stroked her cheek, "Forgive me Onee-sama but she's not worthy of someone like you." Tomoe said then returned her aim to Natsuki's head. "Tell me Kruger if I put one in your head will you stay dead this time?"

"Tomoe don't.... I'll...." Shizuru pleaded grabbing Tomoe trying to pull her back. Tomoe tried to push her off while still keeping aim on Natsuki but found it difficult. She was about to strike her again when she paused hearing Natsuki's answer.

"You can't do it." Natsuki said, "How many times have you failed to kill me?"

"Tomoe...." Shizuru said reaching out to her stroking her hand down Tomoe's arm the other one wrapping around her other shoulder as she leaned in close whispering Tomoe's name again while blowing in her ear much like she had done to Natsuki a hundred times.

"Shizuru stay out of this!" Natsuki growled. Shizuru did that to her and no one else or so Natsuki believe. She was furious seeing Shizuru behave like this but was once again confused that seeing Shizuru touching Tomoe like that made her so upset. She was over Shizuru this shouldn't bother her she could care less what Shizuru did.

"No. I can't live without you. Please don't throw your life away for me. Tomoe has it wrong I'm not worthy of you." Shizuru said even though she still hung on Tomoe trying to coax her to lower the gun.

"This is too great!" Tomoe laughed as she tossed the gun on a table on the far side of the bed still within her reach but Shizuru would to get past her first to get to it, "You claim not to care for her mutt but I think you do. I know how we can prove this." Tomoe said then turned still in Shizuru's arms. She leaned forward kissing Shizuru then said, "Do what I say or we'll see how many bullet holes your puppy can handle, now strip onee-sama."

"Look away Natsuki." Shizuru said looking at Natsuki ashamed as she unbuttoned her shirt complying with Tomoe's instructions. She looked over to Natsuki seeing her face void of emotion but red with anger. Usually Shizuru liked seeing Natsuki blush and often would tease her just to see her like that but this flush wasn't the same Shizuru wasn't happy to see it at all. She wasn't sure if Natsuki was angry at Tomoe for forcing her to do this or if she was angry at her for betraying her again.

"No it doesn't work like that. She has to watch us. Not that she could turn away." Tomoe said laughing as she made Shizuru face Natsuki. She moved behind Shizuru and brushed her hands over her shoulders then her breasts tracing her fingers along the hem of her bra.

"Forgive me," Shizuru said flinching as Tomoe licked her neck. Shizuru reached the last button of her blouse and let Tomoe slid it off her shoulders then pick it up throwing it at Natsuki.

"Use it for a bandage mutt. She doesn't need it anymore I'll see that she gets some more proper clothing." Tomoe said as her perverse mind raced with clothing she would enjoy seeing Shizuru in. Though right now she wanted to see her in nothing at all and she leaned down taking Shizuru's skirt off and then her own clothes until both of them sat in their underwear. Her eyes roamed all over Shizuru's body as she leered at her a smirk on her face until she came to her hip seeing a blue rose with Natsuki's name written on the stem. She hissed then reached out clawing her nails across though since she wore her nail short it hardly did anything aside from making Shizuru flinch and leaving a couple red marks. "We'll have to have that brand removed Onee-sama you hardly are cattle to be marked."

"No," Shizuru said at barely a whisper as she seemed on edge of tears fighting to hold them back. "I'll always belong to her whether she wants me or not."

"You are free of her chains, Onee-sama. All she sees in you is disgust." Tomoe said ignoring the fact that she held her there in chains. She then forced Shizuru to look at her. "You can do some much better then her."

"Better? Is that what you think you are?" Natsuki laughed, "Baka, sex with you is the lowest form of slumming."

"Quiet you mutt or I'll have to put a muzzle on you," Tomoe said as she unclasped Shizuru's bra throwing it to the floor her hands caressing Shizuru's breasts this time without being hindered by the fabric. She paused in what she was doing and removed her own bra and panties commanding Shizuru to take the rest of her clothes off. When she didn't Tomoe made like getting up to retrieve the gun but stopped when Shizuru took them off tossing them in the same pile as her bra. "That's better now kneel before me." Tomoe commanded moving so Natsuki could see both of them. Shizuru knelt on the bed as tears began to fall down her cheeks she thought of closing her eyes but knew Tomoe would force her to open them so instead looked to Natsuki out of the corner of her eye. Natsuki still refrained from showing any emotion other than her cheeks which were red in anger.

"Forgive me, Natsuki." Shizuru said again then turned her head to fully look at Natsuki knowing what Tomoe wanted her to do as the green haired girl reclined on several pillows spreading her legs in front of her.

Tomoe growled pulling Shizuru's chin back to look at her. "You know what to do Onee-sama." Tomoe said then chuckled looking at Natsuki, "And we both know how talented you are at it."

"Please don't make me do this..." Shizuru asked looking up at Natsuki the look the blue haired woman gave her burning into her she knew Natsuki may have been angry at Tomoe but her rage was aimed at her not their captor.

Tomoe grabbed the gun from the table and swung it out and shooting Natsuki in the right shoulder, "How many more times do you think she can withstand? Stop stalling." Tomoe said as Shizuru nodded causing Tomoe to lower the gun to her side though she still held it. Shizuru glance briefly to Natsuki then at Tomoe before she slid over towards her kissing her neck, "You know that isn't what I want." The gun rose again as Tomoe started to pull the trigger but Shizuru pushed her arm away knocking Tomoe back further into the pillows the bullet hitting the ceiling.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru shouted as Tomoe raised the gun to strike her but she stopped when Shizuru leaned down licking between her breasts. "I know you better then you know yourself." She thought as she felt Tomoe relax knowing that the girl enjoyed this. It worked until she felt Tomoe tense and pushed her back.

"You think your trickery will work? You better get serious!" Tomoe shouted waving the gun in front of Shizuru's face. Shizuru moved down leaning into Tomoe spreading across her body as she started sucking on her breasts while her hand started rubbing Tomoe's inner thigh. "That's better." Tomoe said leaning back into the pillows as she looked to Natsuki a smirk on her face. She placed both her hands on Shizuru's shoulders urging her to keep going lower but Shizuru remained where she was.

"Are you getting pleasure from this? She doesn't care for you." Natsuki growled anger raging inside her that she couldn't explain. She hated Shizuru for what she did what she was doing but it still made her furious to see Tomoe do this to her. "You are forcing her to do this."

"Onee-sama you want this don't you?" Tomoe said as she lifted the gun just enough for Shizuru to see.

The brunette paused looking at the gun then to Tomoe, "Yes," She lied her face already soaked with tears. She heard Natsuki's chains rattle but couldn't bear to look at her.

Tomoe started laughing hysterically while she turned to Natsuki, "Forcing her? She sounds willing to me." Tomoe said pulling Shizuru towards her smirking at Natsuki while Shizuru moved down even further still licking until her head was between Tomoe's legs. "Make me cum onee-sama." Tomoe said as Shizuru closed her eyes and complied praying her closed eyes would hide the tears even though it seemed that Tomoe had ignored the ones she had already shed. "Look at me," Tomoe said sweetly, reluctantly Shizuru looked up at Tomoe noticing that they had shifted on the bed and she could now see Natsuki behind Tomoe and though she made it look like she was looking at Tomoe she focused on Natsuki.

"You are a dirty whore Tomoe." Natsuki said she had forced herself to stand even though her leg hurt and she was forced to lean against the wall to hold herself up, "No one could love you."

"Sticks and stones Kruger." Tomoe said as she leaned back laughing as Natsuki's legs gave out on her and she fell to the ground. Shizuru tried to look at Natsuki but Tomoe forced her to focus on pleasuring her, "Oh onee-sama!" Shizuru pushed her tongue in more biting on Tomoe knowing it was more then she could handle causing Tomoe to bite her lip as her body began to shake. Shizuru kept licking and biting knowing from past experience Tomoe would pass out soon after. Tomoe pushed her hips up, "God I'm cumming!" Tomoe shouted then slacken but stayed awake. Shizuru growled and kept going forcing a second and a third orgasm Tomoe still staying awake. Tomoe pushed Shizuru off, "Enough of that. I'm going to make you cum now. Lay down."

"Tomoe," Shizuru said barely above a whisper her eyes pleading again knowing it was useless.

"What?" Tomoe shouted pointing the gun at Natsuki again.

Shizuru lay back and looked at Natsuki, "Nothing."

Tomoe placed the gun back on the table then leaned down and began sucking on Shizuru's left nipple forcing her to arch into Tomoe lifting off the bed but she still kept her eyes on Natsuki angry at her body's reaction. She kept on going until a siren started going of. "We'll finish this later." Tome said then got up dressed and left the room taking the gun and both sets of keys with her.

Natsuki watched Tomoe leave the room her shoulder and leg aching, "God I hate that woman." Natsuki said looked back over to Shizuru seeing she was still looking at her. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"You look like you haven't bathed in weeks..." Shizuru said. "I'm sorry Natsuki."

Natsuki growled, "I've been chained to this wall if you haven't noticed...." She was full of anger but her expression soften when she looked at Shizuru seeing the defeated look in her eyes as she pulled the sheets up around her embarrassed to be seen like that even if Natsuki had seen her naked many times before.

"Are you ready to listen?" Shizuru said thinking she would finally get a chance to explain everything to Natsuki, "You can clearly see that I am not enjoying this." Shizuru spread her arms out gesturing to Natsuki's chains and her own causing the blanket to fall off her.

"This is different." Natsuki said looking away from Shizuru's nude form.

"It's really different isn't it? You can see it with your own eyes. Do you see now that I didn't appease her because I wanted a change of taste?" Shizuru said staring into Natsuki's eyes even though the younger woman refused to look at her. As she sat there staring at Natsuki she barely realized the blanket had fallen she had never been shy around Natsuki.

"The damage is already done." Natsuki said looking at the wall trying to ignore Shizuru, the pain in her shoulder and leg though every so often she found herself looking at Shizuru. It seemed easier to hate Shizuru when she wasn't there. True she was angry with Shizuru for the things she did with Tomoe even if she knew that Shizuru hadn't willingly done them but she was by far angrier that Shizuru had kept it from her. She had believed that there was nothing she couldn't tell Shizuru and likewise that there was nothing Shizuru had to keep from her. Discovering this secret made Natsuki wonder what other secrets Shizuru had. She no longer felt that she could trust Shizuru. And what was a relationship without trust? "What you do now makes no difference." Natsuki said glancing briefly at Shizuru then away blushing when she saw her nudity again.

"You keep saying that but your body keeps showing that you are lying." Shizuru said as she wrapped a sheet around herself again feeling hurt that Natsuki was ashamed to look at her.

"My body? The one over here bleeding out onto the floor? How many times does this make that I've been hurt because of you?" Natsuki shouted her chest rising with each word sending sharp pains through her shoulder but she didn't let the pain show save for her hand shaking slightly disguising it has shaking with anger rather then pain. "What the hell do you want from me? To say everything is alright? That I still love you? Because…" Natsuki said trailing off unable to say that she didn't love Shizuru still.

"You're right Natsuki. I know it was foolish of me to think like that. I feel worthless. You are right, I don't deserve you. I don't even deserve her." Shizuru said quietly looking now at the floor.

"Self pity never was you." Natsuki said sharply looking once again at Shizuru.

"We both have been getting into roles that aren't us, haven't we Natsuki?" Shizuru said looking up at Natsuki.

"What about it?" Natsuki said taking her eyes from Shizuru again. She closed her eyes thinking of a time not so long ago even though it felt ages ago when everything between them had been perfect. That seemed like a life time ago rather then just a couple of years. "There is no we anymore Shizuru. You need to realize that. I've….. I've moved on."

"You never could keep things from me. You whole body is full of tells. I know how dirty you feel Natsuki. I can tell by the way you talk and how you shake on those chains." Shizuru said she had spent the last ten years living with Natsuki it had been many years since Natsuki had been able to keep a secret from Shizuru. She knew exactly how Natsuki acted when she told a lie or was keeping something from her.

Natsuki found herself looking away and regretting it knowing that Shizuru could see right through her. There wasn't another person on Earl that could read Natsuki like Shizuru could and she knew it. "What I've done doesn't matter since we aren't together."

"If it didn't matter you would not look away like you are ashamed. Did you find someone who would let you touch them? I won't fault you Natsuki. That doesn't even begin to break even." Shizuru said hurt that there had been someone other then her touching her Natsuki but her mask held not showing her emotion.

"What are you saying I'm damaged goods that no one would want me?" Natsuki shouted glancing back at Shizuru full of rage.

"No, it apparently wasn't just sex. Or you wouldn't be so bothered by it." Shizuru continued on staring at Natsuki's face it being ripe with emotion ranging from hurt to betrayal to anger.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Natsuki said claming down a little and looking at a small puddle of blood that was under her. Between tearing strips from her shirt and the clothes Tomoe had thrown at her she had managed to stop the bleeding. She silently thanked Miss Maria for being ruthless in ensuring that all the columns remain up to date on each of the classes taught at Garderobe including first aid. Still with the bleeding stopped she had already lost a fair amount of blood. "My personal life has nothing to do with you anymore."

"But it does Natsuki. Or else you would not be here." Shizuru said wondering if she could break through to Natsuki. She briefly closed her eyes but no more then a long blink thinking about everything that had happen and how they ended up like this. There was a time that she never thought anything like this could happen, that Natsuki would hate her.

"Why I'm here?" Natsuki said as she grabbed onto the chains with her good arm and pulled herself up swaying before getting her balance. "Nao has nothing to do with why I am here. The reason I'm here is because that green haired bitch thinks you actually mean something to me."

"Did it make you forget me?" Shizuru said not at all surprised that Nao had made a move on Natsuki she had known since Nao came to Garderobe that she had hidden feelings for Natsuki even if she didn't know herself. "Did Nao make love to you? Or was it just sex? If she did make love to you then look me in the eyes and tell me."

"I told you it's not your concern." Natsuki shouted making her shoulder hurt again as she wavered using the chains to keep her balance. "We are not a couple anymore. Whatever I've done with Nao or anyone else isn't your business it's not like I've cheated on you as there is no us. It's over Shizuru don't you see that?"

"If that is the delusion Natsuki wants to believe in." Shizuru said shifting on the bed exposing her legs noticing Natsuki's eyes drift to her soft creamy skin. There were many things Shizuru knew about Natsuki such as exactly how to seduce her.

"It's not going to work." Natsuki said quickly looking back at the wall when she realized what Shizuru was doing though she found it hard not to look at Shizuru, "I've moved on it's time you realize that."

"Moving on obviously relies on the notion that I seduced Tomoe to hurt you. So I'll become the whore so that your argument will become true." Shizuru said sliding around on the bed turning her back to Natsuki tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Shizuru..." Natsuki said staring at Shizuru's back watching her chest rise and fall. Though she couldn't hear Shizuru crying she could tell just by looking at her that she was. It hurt more then Natsuki thought it should. She was over Shizuru, the woman that had brought her to the top of the world then thrown her off watching her fall and watching her hurt.

"I hope when you get out of here that Nao can love you as I do and that you can return her love." Shizuru said fighting hard to keep her voice level. Struggling to hide her feelings wasn't what Shizuru was used to.

"What about you?" Natsuki asked feeling her legs shake weak from her wounds and the blood lose but she refused to give in.

"One must lie in the bed one has made." Shizuru said pulling her knees into her chest. "Natsuki need not worry about me."

"I need to know the truth." Natsuki said feeling weak again finally unable to have the strength to stand she slid down the wall looking down at her lap feeling something wet drip on her hand. She looked at her shoulder realizing that standing and holding herself up at made her she bleed again. She watched several drops of blood fall wondering how much blood she had lost before she reached up with her good hand pressing her hand to the wound hoping to stop some of the bleeding.

"Back then I thought... I thought that if I could find some way to keep informed I could help. There was much they didn't tell Hallard and Tomoe was so free with the information…. I did not know that she was so obsessed with me. It was clear what she wanted and I was willing to do whatever it took to find out was going on. I knew I could handle it." Shizuru said turning around and seeing Natsuki sitting on the floor again.

"What about me? Did you think I could handle it? Shizuru you were supposed to be mine. I accepted that you been with others before me because I knew that you would never be with anyone else again. That you would always be mine and mine alone, just like I was yours.... It seems I was wrong." Natsuki said watching Shizuru get off the bed and walk over to her the chain around her ankle giving her just enough to reach her.

"Natsuki, I didn't think about how it would affect you. I was more concerned with what I could do to help you and…" She said taking the sheet she had around her ripping several strips off and trying them as best as she could around the wound on Natsuki's leg. Standing up had caused this wounded to bleed again. She looked at Natsuki thinking the bullet in her shoulder had gone through but there was no exit wound in her leg the bullet was still in Natsuki's leg then she started bandaging her shoulder again. The bandages would only stop the bleeding, she needed a doctor. "I am still yours I always be whether I'm with you or not."

"......Nao and I......" Natsuki said pausing only able to look down at her shoulder for a while then back up to Shizuru staring into her crimson eyes realizing for the first time that Shizuru was so close, "There's nothing between us. I lied. We slept together but it didn't go anywhere from there."

"Maybe for you, it seems I am not the only who is oblivious to how things will effect others." Shizuru said forcing her eyes shut blinded by images of Nao and Natsuki in the throws of passion. She could see the look on Nao's face knowing that she had that same look herself many times before.

"She said she loved me..." Natsuki said feeling the hurt of that moment again. At the time she had been shocked and didn't know how to react. Giving Nao that one moment of doubt that ruined any chance they had together. "Then she left..."

"She knew she couldn't have you. Now the reports that brown hair traitor has be rattling off about her make sense." Shizuru said having heard several Valkyrie talking as she was brought in.

"What reports?" Natsuki asked. She had locked herself up in that cabin for so long she really had no idea of what was going on besides the little she could hear through the wall.

"She's so messed up that she's stabbing whoever gets close to her. She's using again Natsuki." Shizuru said. Before Nao had been picked by Sergay to become one of Artai's Otome she had lived the life of a criminal and had a drug problem.

"Nao.... I should have gone after her..." Natsuki said, true she had fought with Nao when she was a student and even still when she was column but she had to admit she felt something for the younger girl. She wasn't sure if it was love or friendship.

"As I should have told you what I did. Fate is a nasty circle." Shizuru said unable to stop herself from stroking Natsuki's cheek.

Natsuki didn't lean into Shizuru's hand like she usually did but neither did she pull away. "It's brought us back to each other but where do we go from here?"

"We get out of here first. Then we divide your doll collection and everything else down the line." Shizuru said a small smile forming on her face tilting her head so Natsuki couldn't see. She loved teasing Natsuki about her collection of Otome action figures; she had always thought it was cute.

"They are action figures." Natsuki corrected letting out a quiet chuckle.

"Fine, action figures, though I don't think we can split the school." Shizuru said returning the smile.

"I'm not sure if that is what I want..." Natsuki said looking over to Shizuru a smile coming on her face as well, "And they are action figures not dolls it says so right on the box."

"Silly puppy," Shizuru said taking the sheet around her and pulling it over both of them leaning into Natsuki's good shoulder.

"I've always liked it when you called me that." Natsuki said putting her arm around Shizuru.


	7. Chapter 7: Dreams and the Door

**Chapter Seven: Dreams and the Door**

_Author Notes: This chapter marks the start of the second arc and we take you back to before the war started to explain what happened._

(Principal's Quarters, Garderobe, Before the Fall)

Natsuki lay in bed resting her head on Shizuru's shoulder lazily drawing her fingers along Shizuru's collar bone. She sighed then leaned over pressed a kiss to Shizuru's shoulder, and then she paused realizing that Shizuru wasn't moving. They had just made love a short while ago and Natsuki always enjoyed when they cuddled afterwards; but Shizuru was just laying there still she could feel the rise and fall of her chest. "Shizuru," Natsuki asked looking up at Shizuru seeing she was asleep, wondering how long ago she had fallen asleep. "Shizuru?" Natsuki asked feeling Shizuru start to shake realizing she was crying. Natsuki reached up cupping Shizuru's cheek and kissing her softly. "Shizuru... It's me it's Natsuki."

"You are not my Natsuki." Shizuru said shaking her head. "I won't do it anymore. I'm not yours. You make me feel so disgusting and dirty."

Natsuki sighed knowing Shizuru had fell asleep after their love making and was dreaming about something she knew nothing about. Shizuru had had this dream many times before with Natsuki only catching snips of it during the few times Shizuru talked in her sleep. Nobody would ever imagine that that Graceful Amethyst and Archmeister, Shizuru Viola talked in her sleep. Natsuki's hand reached up and stroked Shizuru's cheek softly.

"When you brought me here…. you look at me like you wanted me…. so I gave you what you wanted. I fucked you silly, so you told me what I wanted. You didn't have my Natsuki." Shizuru said her words full of fear mixed with anger.

Natsuki knew Shizuru still had nightmares about what happened when she was Nagi's prisoner. Try as much as she had she couldn't get Shizuru to tell her what happened. She debated about whether she should wake Shizuru up or keep listening. Shizuru turned in her sleep hitting Natsuki in the chest as the blue haired woman tried to hold her. Natsuki knew she should wake her up but Shizuru had never gone into this much detail.

"I don't love you." Shizuru said raising her voice as she continued hitting Natsuki. "You green haired tart!" There had been rumors about what happened to Shizuru all of them involving Tomoe Marguerite and none of them pleasant.

Shizuru started to thrash around more before she pushed Natsuki knocking her nearly off the bed, "Shizuru!" Natsuki said getting her balance and taking hold of Shizuru again this time shaking her trying to wake her up.

"Leave me alone." Shizuru said her hand striking out and hitting Natsuki in the eye.

The principal groaned briefly reaching up rubbing her eye thinking she got hit hard enough that tomorrow she was sure to have a black eye if not sooner. "Shizuru wake up please." Natsuki said ignoring the pain and stroked her hand through Shizuru's hair.

Shizuru shook her head, "I won't sleep with you again, Tomoe." Shizuru said her hand swinging to punch Natsuki again.

Natsuki grabbed out and caught Shizuru hand holding it tight as she bit her lip then she slapped Shizuru across the check. Shizuru blinked her eyes several times as she came to and realized something was very wrong. "Shizuru..." Natsuki said softly as she gently stroked where she just hit she hadn't wanted to slap her but couldn't seem to wake her up any other way.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru said starting to feel the pain in her cheek and looking up at Natsuki seeing her eye already starting to turn red. "I hit you in my sleep again?" This wasn't the first time it had happened and she was just as embarrassed as before. "I'm sorry." She said then stroked Natsuki's cheek.

"Hai, you were dreaming again." Natsuki said as she kissed her cheek then lied, "It doesn't hurt that much."

"I don't remember it…" Shizuru lied as well she vividly remembered the dream she always did though now it seemed she had been having it more often lately.

"It was just dream don't worry about it." Natsuki said even though she knew it was more then a dream this was a part of Shizuru's life that she wouldn't share with her. It made Natsuki angry that Shizuru wouldn't tell her what had happened. Every time she asked about it Shizuru would say she wasn't ready to talk about it. Natsuki wondered how long it would take Shizuru it had already been two years. Sometimes she wondered if Shizuru would ever tell her. Didn't Shizuru trust her enough to let her in on every aspect of her life? Natsuki couldn't really think of a single secret she was keeping from Shizuru aside from the Zipangese tea set that she had hidden in the storage room she used to work on her bike but that was for Shizuru's birthday.

"Puppy? What is wrong?" Shizuru said though she didn't want to have to explain it to Natsuki. She couldn't bear to tell Natsuki what had happened during the war.

"You had that nightmare again." Natsuki said not wanting to press the issue again, not wanting to start another fight but she still wanted to know. Over the last few weeks as Shizuru had the dream more often Natsuki had asked her each time usually ending in the two of them yelling and one of them storming out; Natsuki had spent quite a few nights sleeping on the sofa in her office.

"I did?" Shizuru said feigning ignorance hoping Natsuki would buy it again it had worked so many times already Shizuru feared it wouldn't very many more.

"Yes, Shizuru, what happens in your dreams?" Natsuki said feeling the words leave her mouth before she realized she had said them. She was tried after from their love making and tried of fighting with Shizuru. She just wanted things to go back to how they were before the Wind Uprising.

"I don't know, I just wake up not remembering anything," Shizuru said as she continued to lie it burning inside. She hated lying to Natsuki but she couldn't tell her, she couldn't tell her most important person what she had done she was too ashamed and knew it would hurt Natsuki.

"With how many times you've had that dream you can't tell me you don't remember it." Natsuki said getting frustrated knowing Shizuru knew. Just as Shizuru could tell when Natsuki lied she could when her lover was lying. You can't live with someone as long as they had and not get to know little things like when the other was lying. Natsuki thought she was probably the only person on Earl that could tell if the Graceful Amethyst was lying, no one else could see through her mask.

"I don't." Shizuru continued as she leaned into Natsuki wrapping her arms around Natsuki while she kissed the base of Natsuki's neck thinking she might be able to distract Natsuki away from this line of questioning like she had many times before. She loved Natsuki more then anything but couldn't let Natsuki know her dirty little secret.

Natsuki frowned, "It was about Tomoe." Shizuru pressed her face into Natsuki's shoulder while she looked away, "Shizuru."

She stayed like that for a while then looked up when Natsuki lifted her chin, "Natsuki, you know that I would do anything for you." Shizuru said stroking Natsuki's cheek trying to calm the younger woman.

"Would you?" Natsuki asked not fully believing her. Normally she would lean into Shizuru's caresses but this time she held still not moving hinting to Shizuru that everything wasn't alright.

Hai," Shizuru said cringing at what would be asked of her next.

"Then you wouldn't lie to me." Natsuki said coldly letting Shizuru know that she knew she was lying and that she wasn't happy about it.

Shizuru started to cry realizing that she couldn't keep it from Natsuki any longer, "No, I wouldn't." She hated lying to Natsuki but was afraid of what would happen if Natsuki knew the truth.

"What happened during the Uprising in Wind?" Natsuki said breaking the questioning that she had asked so many times before wondering if she would actually get an answer. "What happened when Nagi took you prisoner?"

"Tomoe had me taken to some room." Shizuru started cringing as them memory was still fresh. She could still feel the eerie feeling she had being lead down that hallway. At the time she had thought Nagi was going to torture her for information but then she was led into a bedroom where Tomoe sat on the bed. While Tomoe had been a student Shizuru was aware that the girl had a crush on her but what Coral didn't?

"I thought you were held in the dungeon." Natsuki said remembering a small part of the story that Shizuru had told her.

"I was but that monkey boy had an incentive program for his Dark Otome. Tomoe wanted me, so I was her reward." Shizuru said as tears started to form in her eyes. Her skin seemed to burn as the memory of Tomoe's lips on her was brought to the front of her mind.

"She wanted you....h...how?" Natsuki asked several of the rumors she had heard coming to her mind. Tomoe's glances as a student hadn't gone unnoticed by the principal. Natsuki paid attention to everyone that watched Shizuru. You could say Natsuki was a jealous lover even if she didn't show her anger. She never liked it when Shizuru flirted with other girls and it had been a problem in the beginning of their relationship before Natsuki realized that Shizuru wouldn't stray from her and only did it to get a rise out of her. There had been many times when Shizuru would press Natsuki's patience too far and the principal would politely excuse them then take Shizuru back to their room and remind her who she belonged to.

Shizuru looked away ashamed, "In every way. I did not know if you had gotten away."

"What did she do to you?" Natsuki asked not aware that she had her fist tightly clinched nor that she held it above Shizuru.

"I had sex with her willingly she was hemorrhaging information the more intimate we got." Shizuru said staring into Natsuki's eyes waiting for a reaction mentally bracing herself for Natsuki's clinched fist to hit her even though Natsuki had never hit her out of anger before. She continued to stare into Natsuki's eyes as the fist came quickly down not hitting her but the bed next to her. Natsuki hit the bed several more times then stopped just breathing hard.

It was several minutes before Natsuki pushed away from Shizuru sitting up and wrapping the sheet around her. The action worried Shizuru; Natsuki hadn't been shy around her since she was a coral. Her covering her nudity meant more then her unleashed rage on the bed. Natsuki felt naked but not in a physical way. "So what you just put out? For what? A few facts, that were useless to you?"

"I put out for the key to their undoing and to your success." Shizuru said watching Natsuki walk across the room the blue haired girl standing with her back to her as there was another long tense silence between them.

Natsuki quickly spun around, "I've never seen a more skilled negotiator then you and you are telling me to deal with a psychotic pervert the only thing you could do was fuck her to pump her for information?"

"Say what you will Natsuki. Lines are blurred in war. A fan is useless against the inferno of hell." Shizuru said, she had spent her time ever since the war trying to justify that to herself wondering if she didn't believe it how Natsuki ever could.

"What about us? Did that just go out the window? We all went through hell during the war but only one of us decided to be a whore." Natsuki snapped her fist balled again, this time her knuckles splitting as she hit the wall leaving large dent into it.

"You can't understand. Nor should you, that is why you deserved ignorance and I deserved to bear the heavy cross." Shizuru said only able to stare at the blood dripping from Natsuki's hand onto the floor. She wanted to leap from bed and take Natsuki's hand and wrap it but knew Natsuki would never let her. So instead she just stared at it the wound being easier then looking Natsuki in the eyes. Eyes she knew held so much anger right now all of it aimed at her.

"Bullshit and you know it. Have I ever meant anything to you? Or am I just another good fuck?" Natsuki shouted when Shizuru didn't answer she growled staring at her noticing that Shizuru refused to look at her thinking she was focusing on the dented wall rather then her hand. "Look at me!"

"You are everything to me. I did the unthinkable so that you would never have to." Shizuru pleaded her eyes snapping up to look Natsuki straight in the eyes seeing that anger only grow.

"Oh yeah you slept around because you care for me. That's the most screwed up thing I've ever heard." Natsuki said grabbing her pants and pulling them on then pulling a shirt on not caring if she got blood on them.

Shizuru began crying unable to look at Natsuki again, "Then leave me. I will make it so you will not lay eye on me again."

"Don't be here when I get back." Natsuki said slamming the door behind her.

She sat on the bed for several minutes staring at the door unaware that she was crying. When it was apparent Natsuki wasn't coming back she stood up and walked the distance to her own dresser changing into not her normal robe but a simple dress. She retrieved a long cloak and draped it over her pulling the hood up as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Forgive me, My Natsuki." She said reaching up and taking her GEM out setting it on the night stand before packing a small bag then leaving.

(Roof Top, Garderobe)

Natsuki had stormed quickly out of the bedroom so angry she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going until she was walking towards the stairs to the roof. She opened the door and walked across seeing Nao quickly flick a cigarette off the roof. "Hope that wasn't your last." Natsuki said leaning against the wall.

"Shoo puppy. I'm not on company time." Nao said pushing herself up on the wall crossing her legs and taking another cigarette out lighting it. It had been quite some time since she had been in Florence or since Shiho had been to Garderobe and Nao was feeling very much in need of some company. She hadn't realized it but it had been quite some time since she had been with anyone else or had she realized that she didn't want to sleep with anyone else.

"Neither am I. Now hand one over." Natsuki said reaching for the pack but Nao pulled it away looking at Natsuki wondering when the lecture about smoking was going to come. She stopped realizing that Natsuki had asked for a cigarette not tried to take the pack from her like she usually did.

Nao flicked one from the pack at her, "Good bye Kruger."

Natsuki put the cigarette in her mouth then reached into Nao's pocket taking a lighter out and lighting her own throwing the lighter back at Nao before sitting on the edge of the wall. "You know I should punch you in your pretty face for reaching into my pants. But it seems someone beat me to it."

"Back off Zhang," Natsuki said taking drag off the cigarette coughing a little she didn't smoke and thought these things tasted gross wondering how anyone could find smoking one relaxing still she took another puff.

"What did you do to piss off the Archmeister enough that she decked you then threw you out?" Nao smirked.

"Don't mention that bitch's name." Natsuki said.

"Worse then I thought. What? Did you and the snake have a tussle again?" Nao pressed even though Natsuki obviously did not want to talk about it.

"Snake isn't a harsh enough word." Natsuki hissed.

"Oh." Nao said nonchalantly.

"Oh what?" Natsuki barked.

"Not a surprise." Nao scoffed. She had seen what was going on between the Principal and Archmeister wondering how long it would be before they had a melt down. From the looks of it they had. She didn't know the full extent but by the looks of Natsuki's face and her hand it had come to blows. It surprised Nao that they would actually fight. Sure Natsuki had a few black eyes before but Nao believed her when she admitted Shizuru had hit her in her sleep. Natsuki wouldn't blush that bad at the teasing if it wasn't true.

"Shut up spider." Natsuki said jumping off the wall flicking her barely smoked cigarette over the edge. She looked down to the ground seeing Miss Maria looking at the butts. She leaned back hoping that she hadn't been seen. Nao looked over the edge seeing what Natsuki was looking at waved at the older woman then turned away. "You wouldn't understand anyway." Natsuki said walking back to the door.

"Don't care what you and she do behind closed doors." Nao said as she leaned back, "Kruger next time you take a smoke from me you better finish it."


	8. Chapter 8: Ignoring Duty

Chapter Eight: Ignoring Duty

(Mystic Hand Tavern, Village of Grafton, Annam)

Shizuru sat in a booth, in the corner of the bar, looking out from under her hood. The journey to Annam had taken her close to three days and she wasn't exactly sure what she would do here. Perhaps she would catch up with her mother's family, but what would she tell them? She knew leaving Garderobe the way she did was wrong, but didn't seem to care.

It broke her heart to leave Natsuki, but she knew she didn't have a choice, it was the only thing she could do. It was true; she would do anything for Natsuki, even if that meant leaving her. Shizuru glanced down at her drink then back over to the waitress. The woman smiled as she pulled her brown hair back into a ponytail and gestured that she would be right there. As soon as she finished with her ponytail, she walked over, took out her pad of paper, and waited for Shizuru's order. "Can I have another cup of goji tea?"

"Hai," The young woman said and then bowed. She walked back to a station and poured the tea, dropping a tablet in it that dissolved, before she brought it to Shizuru, "Here you go, miss."

"You look familiar. Have you ever been to Wind?" Shizuru asked looking at the girl. She knew the girl from somewhere but she couldn't place from where. "Miss…?"

"The name is Jenny and no, I have been in this village all my life," Jenny, the young waitress said as she leaned on the table exposing her ample cleavage watching for a reaction from Shizuru. When Shizuru didn't look she said, "Papa left me the farmhouse when he died and I'm quite lonely out there." Jenny leaned closer, and lower, to no avail, "The nights are long and cold."

Shizuru ignored her flirtations, took a sip of the tea noticing a strange taste, but just figured it was old leaves. Shizuru knew if the leaves where left out too long it would affect the flavor. As the thought passed she said to her waitress, "I've always loved the countryside here it's a shame I could never get Nat... her to come here more often."

"Oh? I'm sorry, I didn't know." Jenny said already knowing that more than three days ago Shizuru had a large fight with her lover and had left. The details about that fight were unknown, though she suspected that it had something to do with Tomoe Marguerite.

"It doesn't matter, that life is over now," Shizuru said looking past Jenny suddenly feeling dazed. She set her tea down and touched her forehead moving from feeling dazed to feeling dizzy.

"Oh?" Jenny said as a smirk briefly lit her face then disappeared. "Care to talk about it?" Jenny asked as she looked around and then slid into the seat across from Shizuru.

"I've come here to.... to...I can't remember." Shizuru said feeling even dizzier she reached for another drink of her tea, but knocked the mug over. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."

Jenny quickly cleaned the tea up with her apron and glanced up at Shizuru taking her hand, "Are you alright?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know…" Shizuru asked looking down at the girl's hand on hers, "Do I know you?"

"No miss," Jenny said looking concerned. "I just work here, my name is Jenny. You looked like you weren't feeling well so I came to check on you."

"Thank you then," Shizuru said noticing the girl had an accent like hers only it was stronger. "My name is… I can't remember…"

"Maybe we can figure it out," Jenny offered her voice changing again though Shizuru didn't really notice.

"How do we do that Jenny-han?" Shizuru asked her accent becoming stronger without her noticing.

"You look like one of those gypsies. Maybe you are one of them?" Jenny asked. Looking at Shizuru's clothes even though she wore a cloak Jenny could see a multi colored dress under it.

"A gypsy…?" Shizuru said reaching down and feeling for her necklace. It was a small golden crescent moon.

As Shizuru looked down at her necklace Jenny smirked then said, "Hai."

"What do you know of these gypsies?" Shizuru asked as an image of her dancing on a stage came into her mind.

"Not much just that they live in the forests and the mountains. They travel too," Jenny said pausing as if to remember something, "I believe they were just here last week."

"I must have been separated from them...." Shizuru said trying hard to remember, but unable to.

"Maybe you have. It would make sense especially if you've been under the weather lately." Jenny said as Shizuru nodded then reached into her pocket pulling out a picture of a woman that looked like her with a young girl. She flipped it over seeing the names Satori and Shizuru on the back.

"That's a nice picture perhaps that is you and your niece?" Jenny commented though the picture looked older as if it were at least ten years old.

"Hai..... Satori that is my name.... I think…" Shizuru said the name sounding very familiar to her.

"Well Satori, those troupes move fast," Jenny said standing up and collecting the tea mug.

"Do you happen to know which way they traveled?" Shizuru asked as Jenny started to walk away.

"North, I think," Jenny said looking back over her shoulder.

"Thank you," Shizuru said standing and following after her. Shizuru reached into her pocket handing her several coins not noticing they were the currency of Wind.

Jenny pocketed the coins, bowed before she walked to a back room, and picked up a radio, opening a line. "Go sparrow," the voice on the radio said.

"The target is burned. I say again the target is burned. No go on sanction. Sanction is resented. Mission abort purple snake." Jenny said her palms starting to sweat as she lied. True she had been ordered to capture the Graceful Amethyst but she knew what her boss wanted with her and couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let anything stand in the way of her and her desires. "Subject is not confirmed; false sighting, I repeat subject is not the purple snake."

"Roger that, report back to base," came the reply from the radio.

She switched the radio off, tucking it into a bag, before taking her apron and name tag off dropping them into a trash can. "Now stay lost," Jenny said to herself as she walked through the back room past a woman about her age that was tied up in her under clothes. As she walked she picked up a back pack looking inside seeing a military looking uniform with the name Juria Kline written on it.

(Principal's Office, Garderobe)

Itsuko entered the office after knocking several times, not getting an answer until she knocked harder, and heard Natsuki gruffly say, "Enter,"

"Fifth pillar, Cerulean Citadel Zircon reporting in, Principal Kruger," Itsuko said looking around the room seeing the office was a mess.

Natsuki's chair was facing the window, not looking at Itsuko, and her coat was lying on the sofa. "Assignment's on the desk, you leave tomorrow and are meeting Gallagher in Aries. Everything you need to know is in the folder. If you have any questions ask Gallagher."

Itsuko walked up to the desk and took the folder not looking in it. "As ordered Principal," Natsuki had been acting odd since Shizuru left though no one had dare to press the issue not even Nao.

Natsuki reached for her cup on the table to take a drink, but realized there is no tea in it; she looked into the cup seeing it was dirty. Natsuki smelled the cup, grimaced then set it down, "Have one of the hold over students bring up a fresh pot of tea.... no make that coffee." Natsuki had always preferred coffee to tea, but being around Shizuru she got more tea then coffee as Shizuru claimed the smell of coffee was disgusting and refused to kiss her whenever she drank it.

"Hai, also" Itsuko said as she took out a printout off the printer and read it quickly then looked up, "Fumi-sama has ordered that you appear before her Natsuki-san." Itsuko thought Natsuki would jump on her for using her first name, but was surprised when nothing happened. In the last year, Itsuko was often reminded that she was the junior Column, most often by Nao. Even though it had been a year since Maya retired to Cardair, Itsuko still wasn't sure of her place.

"It came in an hour ago, I know," Natsuki said still not turning around neither did she reach for the printout so Itsuko set it on the desk.

"The summons was not optional, Principal. She is concerned with situation regarding Meister Viola," Itsuko said thinking that it had been over a week since Shizuru just left without notice.

Irina had tried to run a search for Shizuru, but it had led them to Natsuki's room where they found Shizuru's GEM lying on the dresser. Precedent required them to send a Column out for the missing Otome after a week of being AWOL or if the Otome removed their GEM, she was to be considered a deserter. As far as Itsuko knew Natsuki had done none of these things. She thought briefly that her mission with Sara would be to locate Shizuru, but then she recalled that Sara was to be conducting interviews for hopeful students. She also remembered that during the last monthly meeting, Natsuki had told Itsuko she wanted her to assist in the interviews.

"Hai, I know I read the fax. You are dismissed," Natsuki said she had glanced over to the fax machine, when it came in she read it, but didn't seem to care.

As Itsuko headed for the door, Natsuki looked down at her hand, opening it and seeing a small purple GEM. She had found it on Shizuru's dresser in their room after Irina had run a search for her. Irina informed Natsuki that according to the Founder Core's GEM link, Shizuru was in their quarters. Natsuki had informed her that the system must have been malfunctioning and had since that day carried the GEM with her.

Itsuko continued to walk out and once in the hall, tapped her gem. "Go Meister Tsukinobi," Irina said across the GEM.

"Can you get me a secure a line to the Pure Heart Malachite?" Itsuko asked.

"You're patched through to Meister Kruger," Irina said.

"Kohai, what was the last you heard from your sister or her partner?" Itsuko asked. True, Alyssa Kruger hadn't been her room attendant, but she was close friends with Imari Retiko, who was Alyssa's sempai.

Akane Soir now Queen Akane Krau-xeku after her marriage to Kazuya had retired in agreement to a deal she had stuck with Maya. Her retirement had been around the same time Alyssa had graduated and the King and Queen had chose Alyssa as their Otome. Alyssa was bound to Akane as Kazuya felt she needed more protection especially since she had been pregnant with their first child at the time.

"I heard that Shizuru-onee-chan passed through Cardair but she didn't stop and see me," Alyssa said there had been a rumor of the Graceful Amethyst being in Cardair.

Alyssa hadn't known if Shizuru or Natsuki were planning on coming through. Usually whenever one of them did, they stopped by, and said hello. She wouldn't have even heard the rumor if the palace staff hadn't of been talking about it. After hearing quite a few maids and a few soldiers go on about it, Alyssa did some looking and found a security photo of Shizuru leaving a Cardiaran transport station, but nothing else. Alyssa didn't press the issue more, thinking Shizuru was on a mission, and didn't have time to say hello.

"She has deserted and your sister hasn't been out of her office, for any reason, since," Itsuko informed the younger girl. She had thought, at first, that Alyssa would have known since over the last few years the two sisters had become close, but now she thought Alyssa was just as in the dark as everyone else.

There was a gasp over the GEM and what sounded like Alyssa tripping then pushing herself off the floor, "What happened?" Alyssa asked. She had known Shizuru Viola a good portion of her life. Alyssa knew implicitly there were two things Shizuru was devoted to: her sister and being an Otome. Shizuru had always been a model Otome for girls all over the world. The thought of her abandoning her post was unheard of.

"Word is that the rumors about the war were true and Natsuki-san found out." Itsuko said, her source being Nao, who would only say that Shizuru and Natsuki had a fight that was long over due.

"Who do you think told her, Nao-sempai?" Alyssa asked knowing Nao had a habit of telling secrets or rumors just to get a rise out of people.

"Nao isn't one to meddle like that, she may be pretty blunt, but she would never do something like that. Natsuki-san probably heard it straight from source," Itsuko replied, not realizing just how close to the truth she was.

"You think Shizuru-onee-chan told her? I would figure Shizuru-onee-chan would be the only person that could tell her without onee-chan freaking out," Alyssa said knowing that Shizuru and Natsuki were close. She always thought that nothing could ever come between them.

"I think so, anyway, I have to go, just thought you should know." Itsuko said.

"Thanks for letting me know." Alyssa said as her GEM cut out.

_Author Notes: The necklace Shizuru is wearing is the same one she is wearing in episode nine while they are in Aries during the Traversal Exam._


	9. Chapter 9: Plotting Fate

**Chapter Nine: Plotting Fate**

_Author Notes: I almost forgot this weeks chapter but fear not it's only 11pm where I live so I still have a hour before it is Friday and your chapter for this week is here it's just a little late in the day.  
_

(Dinning Room, Valkyrie Headquarters)

Tomoe sat on an ornate throne sideways eating several grapes and looked up seeing Jenny walk in though know she wore a military uniform with the name Juria penned over the breast pocket, "Explain why you do not have the Graceful Amethyst with you."

"It was a false id," Juria said as she walked into the room and bowed.

"We had three positive ids, by what I was told were your three best spies." Tomoe said looking irritated.

"They were mistaken," Juria purposely lied to Tomoe, "A look a-like but not the target."

Tomoe reached for the folder on the table taking several pictures out and throwing them on the ground. There were several pictures of Shizuru; some of them were of her entering the town and then a couple more of her checking into a local inn. "Have you ever seen her before?" Tomoe said.

"I have seen the same reports. That woman is not Shizuru Viola nor is she an Otome." Juria said picking the pages up, setting them back on the table. She somehow managed to keep her voice level hopping that Tomoe wouldn't catch her in a lie, but lying was what she did best, she was a spy after all.

"And what lead you to believe this?" Tomoe asked growling.

"I questioned her myself. Her name is Satori and she belongs to one of the gypsy troupes." Juria said replied in half truth.

After getting the assignment to track Shizuru down, Juria had done research on her, discovering that Shizuru had gypsy blood on her mother's side. Her father was a noble in Wind though Juria had not been able to figure out how the two had met. Juria hadn't given the details of her report to Tomoe, her boss preferred to only deal with the results not how you got there.

"Gypsies, I thought they were all dead?" Tomoe asked standing up.

"Apparently not, Mien Dame," Juria said following her into the hall.

"Have the three spies that made this false claim executed." Tomoe said entering the hall where they were met by Alicia.

"As ordered," Juria said, disappointed that she would have to lose three of her best spies, but it had to be done. Nothing would get in between her and Tomoe.

"Zwei, Drei, keep up and I want a report. Hopefully you have better news then the spy." Tomoe said looking over to Juria a scowl on her face.

"Our sources in Florence report that the king is very likely to be sympathetic to our cause," Alicia said as she doubled her pace in order to keep up, staying by Tomoe's right side.

"Sources in Cardair report that they would not be." Juria said taking a place on Alicia's side.

"Cardair is protected by a Kruger so they will tell us no, no surprise there. Florence naturally will side with us." Tomoe said knowing that Florence had sided with Nagi during the war and that Cardair's Otome was Natsuki Kruger's younger sister.

"I have spies placed in Cardair, and both Lutesias. Once given the order, they can remove any threats." Juria said a smirk on her face.

"You are too anxious, Drei. You will not jeopardize this for me. I forbid you from doing so," Tomoe said stopping and looking at Juria, "I need good generals on the ground, not war-mongering fools."

"I assure you, Mien Dame they will not act without orders and they will not be caught," Juria said ducking her head.

"Mention it one more time and I will have you punished," Tomoe said still glaring at Juria, then she started walking again. "Ladies, I want an open war, and not a cold one. I want them to see us coming. I want them to run like insects as the attack formations swoop down to kill them."

"Our people have almost completed the EMP detonator," Alicia said shooting a glare at Juria. Much like Garderobe positions, in Tomoe's army, top ranks were very competitive. One minute you could be her top agent, the next six feet under.

"And the intravenous wave?" Tomoe asked. Shortly after it had been used during an attack on Natsuki Kruger, Garderobe had developed a modulating system that deflected the effects of the wave. Tomoe's scientists had been working around the clock to combat the new security measure.

"Completed last week," Juria said. "Though it only has a range of 500 meters, but it covers the entire compound."

"How many have completed the combat training?" Tomoe asked looking over to Alicia knowing that she oversaw the training of new troops.

"I've overseen it myself, they are ready for a full scale assault, you have my word on it," Alicia said.

"And the Shinso?" Tomoe said still walking at a brisk pace.

"I have a team in position to capture her. I figured you wanted to do the honors of killing her yourself," Juria said thinking of Florence's Otome before Rosalie. Masayo Jardine had retired quite a few years ago and her oldest daughter was to be a Pearl in the next year's classes at Garderobe.

Tomoe waved her hand and let out a sigh before she said, "Very well. Have her brought to me and eliminate all contacts."

"As ordered, Mien Dame," Juria said then turned to speak into her watch while still keeping pace with Tomoe.

"Drei, you are dismissed," Tomoe said flicking her hands at Juria gesturing for her to leave.

"Aye, Mien Dame," Juria said as the group stopped, she bowed waiting for Tomoe to respond, instead she just sighed waved again.

Juria stood and walked away leaving Tomoe and Alicia standing there, "Mien Dame, what do you need of me?"

"What do you think of her?" Tomoe asked looking at Juria as she walked away.

"A little off, but loyal," Alicia answered though she had never been fond of spies preferring a more direct approach to things.

"She likes shadow play far too much. What does Garderobe have on her?" Tomoe asked having ordered research done on all her people, especially those at the top. Most of her research coming from the documents she had stolen when she snuck into Garderobe a year ago. She had managed to break into the laboratory and copy the personal records.

"Our records state she was the number two Coral, but failed out during her Pearl year." Alicia said.

"What else? I hardly think she got booted for bad scores," Tomoe said knowing there had to have been more.

"Actually the opposite, she stole the exams, and that old bag caught on. During the final exam she re-wrote it, causing her to fail out, not to mention be caught cheating. It's believed that she cheated on most of her tests, her entry rank for Garderobe was listed as the twenty-third Coral." Alicia said.

"Would figure, everybody here was just trying to get ahead," Tomoe said starting to walk again. Her recruitment propaganda relied heavily on playing sympathetic to other people's failures, telling them it wasn't their fault and everyone was against them.

"Garderobe has always been a selective society," Alicia agreed as her own memories burned her from within.

"Full of insects and idiots in command," Tomoe said nodding her head, a twisted smirk on her face.

"Aye, Mien Dame," Alicia replied, knowing Tomoe's version of the truth was a better salve for shattered ego.

(Fumi's Chamber, Garderobe)

Natsuki walked down the laboratory hall, her hands in her pockets, her suit not pressed and her hair in a loose pony tail. She usually wore her hair down, knowing Shizuru liked it that way, but now she found it annoying and pulled it back. Several of the technicians stopped what they were doing and glanced at her. Usually the principal was well dressed with not a wrinkle on her uniform or a hair out of place.

"Going to see her, finally? She's been acting up." Irina said Fumi had recently been keeping Irina on her toes with random errors and repair requests. At times Irina wished Youko hadn't retired and that she was still the assistant director and not the director. Irina pulled the key out.

"Hai," Natsuki said glancing at the ground, kicking at a rock that wasn't there.

Irina slid the key into the port and watched as the heavy door slid open. Natsuki stood there stoically, not really paying attention. "Principal?"

"Huh? Oh sorry," Natsuki said looking up at Irina and the open door; she walked in glancing behind as the door closed behind her.

Natsuki wandered towards the Founder, her hands still in her pockets until she reached her, she pulled Shizuru's GEM out of her pocket and placed it on a tray. She knew she should have brought it earlier, but she didn't want to admit it happened. She was torn between being furious at Shizuru and longing for her touch, her scent, and her company even still.

"_Report Ice Silver Crystal_." A statue of Fumi said.

"The Graceful Amethyst abandoned her post." Natsuki said her hands easing back into her pockets. Natsuki knew standing like this before Fumi was disrespectful, but she didn't really care. Nothing seemed to matter to her anymore.

"_**Explanation**_," Fumi demanded.

"She gave no reason." Natsuki replied not wanting to elaborate, she hadn't told anyone the full story. Only Nao had heard some of it, and surprisingly, she hadn't pressed the issue or told anyone what she did know.

"_Your vitals indicate deception_," Fumi said registering that Natsuki's blood pressure and pulse had increased.

"She was reassigned to a different post and chose to desert instead." Natsuki said telling only half the truth.

"_Your explanation is not accepted_." Fumi said flatly.

"Her services as Deputy Headmistress were no longer required, and so she was reassigned as a field operative," Natsuki said though she knew it hadn't exactly happened like that.

"_Justification_?" Fumi asked noting again that Natsuki's vitals had increased.

"Tomoe Marguerite has committed multiple crimes against this organization and Earl and has escaped custody as well as eluded us. I felt it was best to have more Columns searching for her." Natsuki lied.

"_There are discrepancies in your reports. Your authority is overridden. The Graceful Amethyst will be brought before me."_ Fumi said.

"She's gone rogue and abandoned her GEM." Natsuki said as if her words could end the discussion, she knew better.

"_I do not accept your reasoning_." Fumi said.

"She's made her point clear that she doesn't desire to be a Column." Natsuki said then silently added, "Nor does she desire to be with me."

"_I am aware of your history with Shizuru Viola, thus you cannot be impartial. This matter is no longer in your preview."_ Fumi said knowingly, there was hardly anything about her Otome she wasn't aware of.

"I'll redirect Meister Gallagher and Meister Tsukinobi from searching for a criminal to for a deserter." Natsuki said turning to leave.

"_**That is not my will or order. You exceed your authority**_." Fumi's voice boomed across the room.

"Then strip me of my rank and get someone better to do the job." Natsuki said still heading to the door, surprised when it didn't open.

"_Your attempt at receiving decommission will not work_." Fumi said.

"Fine, you want to know what _**really**_ happened. Everyone seems to know that I spent the last ten years screwing a whore." Natsuki said turning and shouting at the Founder's statue.

"_Your choice of words is distasteful. You seem to not see the why, over the what_." Fumi said clearly unfazed by Natsuki's heated retort.

"Forgive me, for not being able to find a better word for her. A few come to mind, but that was the least offensive of them." Natsuki scoffed.

"_Why do you think Meister Viola __**chose**__ to use her body over her blade?" _Fumi asked searching for a truth that eluded Natsuki, at the moment.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Natsuki said heading back to the door standing before it, waiting for it to open.

"_I see. You are dismissed, Ice Silver Crystal_," Fumi said opening the door.


	10. Chapter 10: Chancing Fate

Chapter Ten: Chancing Fate

_Author Notes: This chapter has a rated M scene in it that involves two women having sex so if you don't like that sort of thing why are you still reading this story?_

(Administration Building, Garderobe)

Shortly after leaving Fumi, Natsuki headed back to her office not saying a word to anyone even though several tried Irina included but she just ignored them all. Once in her office she locked the door behind her before entering her room. There she gathered some clothes into a bag along with a couple of pistols she kept in the room. She glanced over to one hanging on the wall. It truly was the best one she had but instead of taking it she left it on the wall. Shizuru had given her that pistol a couple years ago had it specially made just for her. After she had filled the bag she walked over to the dresser looking at a spot of it that unlike the rest of the dresser was free of the light layer of dust. The spot was smaller then a fingerprint. She lifted her hand up to her ear taking her GEM off her ear and placing it in the spot which was roughly the same size and was the same place Shizuru left her GEM. "This is all your fault." Natsuki said even there was no one else in the room.

She opened the hidden door to her room and stepped into the hallway closing and locking the door behind her. "Going somewhere Kruger?" Nao asked from down the hallway.

"None of your business Zhang," Natsuki said trying to ignore the red head as she walked past her.

"I saw you down talking to Fumi, she sending you on a mission?" Nao pressed walking up next to Natsuki and keeping pace with her. Even though as Headmistress of Garderobe Natsuki rarely went on missions.

"I told you it's none of your business." Natsuki said, "Shouldn't you be on a mission or something yourself?"

"Yeah, yeah I got my orders interviewing little girls to become students." Nao said.

"Then shouldn't you be out doing it then?" Natsuki hissed heading down the stairs.

"I drew Wind, Fumi's got me visiting three or four girls a day already met my quota for the day so you're stuck with me Kruger." Nao chuckled slapping her hand on Natsuki's back. "Come on what's your mission? Fumi sending you to track down your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend." Natsuki growled turning to look at Nao giving her the Kruger death glare.

"Ha, Fumi is sending you out to bring Viola back." Nao said being one of the few people that the Kruger Death Glare didn't affect. "You didn't deny it."

"I'm not going after Shizuru." Natsuki said turning away from Nao, "Fumi's tied my hands on that matter."

"Then where you going Kruger?" Nao asked spinning Natsuki around to face her causing Nao to notice that she wasn't wearing her GEM.

"I told you it's none of your business." Natsuki said then started walking away. She exited the building and headed to a shed where she took a motorcycle out. It was the same bike that she had used in the war. After jumping the gate the bike had been damaged quite a bit and the owner said Natsuki could have it that it would cost too much to repair. Natsuki had been working on it for a while and just gotten it running a couple of weeks ago.

Still on the steps of the administration building Nao leaned against the wall watching Natsuki speed through the gates into the city of Wind. She pulled her mobile out and dialed one of her boys. "Yeah it's me. Kruger just left Garderobe heading north I want to know where she goes. No, I don't care if you have to follow her all the way to Zipang and back. I want to know."

(Outside the Village of Grafton, Annam)

A young woman walked down a dirt path holding a bunch flowers and smelling them before walking into a circle of caravans. Across from her a man looked up from a tent stake he was digging out of the ground. "How many times do I have to tell you not to dawdle? There is work to be done." Rokus said leaning against the shove.

"Forgive me Rokus this meadow was just so beautiful and you know I couldn't resist picking some of these flowers." Shizuru asked. Most people thought that she picked them just because they were pretty and while that was true it wasn't the reason. Shizuru would keep the flowers for a while then dry the petals to make into a tea. "Shall we be moving onto the next town soon?"

"That's right tomorrow morning. Have you given any thought to what we discussed last night?" Rokus asked a worried look on his face. Shizuru had come to them several days ago seeming to be confused. He thought it was strange that she had come without notice she usually came at least once a year contacting him several months before to arrange where the troupe would be but she hadn't this time. What was even stranger was Shizuru didn't seem herself. She seemed a little confused she had thought she was her mother and still did.

"Brother, why do you want me to leave? We are family and this is where I belong." Shizuru said not finding it strange that she felt this man was her brother even though he was old enough to be her father.

Rokus sighed and looked up at her, "Shizuru, your mother would not want you here. She would want you to be with the one you love. Whatever happened between you and Natsuki can be fixed." Rokus said. Several times in the past when Shizuru had come to visit Natsuki had come as well. He hadn't taken to her at first finding that Natsuki was very much a city girl seeming out of place in the woods. The troupe had gotten quite a bit of news and it had passed by last week that Garderobe's Principal had disappeared. The troupe was one of the few people that knew for sure that Shizuru and Natsuki were lovers. Though he hadn't really liked Natsuki at first but he saw how happy Natsuki made Shizuru and after time he warmed up to her especially after discovering her fondness for guns. He knew that if Shizuru was here and Natsuki had disappeared something was wrong. He had tried to ask Shizuru about it but she was so confused she didn't know who she was let alone what was happening at Garderobe.

"Shizuru, such a pretty name as is Natsuki." Shizuru said, "Perhaps if I have a daughter I will name her Shizuru."

Rokus let out a sigh again wondering if having this conversation again would do anything for his niece. "Is there anything you remember before coming here?"

"Before coming her? Rokus you know as well as I do that I was born into the clan." Shizuru asked wondering why Rokus kept asking her these strange questions insisting that she was someone else. "If that is all I should be helping the others take the tents down. I believe the north side of the main tent needed mending."

"Hai, dang kids cut a hole in it again to get a free show. Go ahead and get back to work and Satori please send in my eldest daughter on the way to tent." Rokus asked walking into another tent and sitting at a desk starting to write a letter.

Shizuru watched him then wandered off stopping at a girl around the same age as her who was folding clothes that had been hung on a line, "Naomi, your father needs to see you."

Naomi nodded to her then folded the last blanket she had before heading to the tent Rokus had entered. "You asked to see me father?" She asked.

"I want you to deliver this letter to Ein-hime and only her. Then meet up with us at the next stop." Rokus said putting the letter in an envelope and handing it to Naomi. "It's only a day's ride to the palace by horse then another day to Nehill I want you back by the third night understood?"

"Yes, father, do you think the Princess can do anything to help Shizuru?" Naomi asked. Shizuru was close friends with the princess having gone to school with her years ago and everyone in the troupe was worried about Shizuru. Perhaps there was something the princess could do.

"The contents of this letter are none of your concern don't go making assumptions." Rokus said confused what to do about Shizuru. He had to admit he didn't know what to do there had be something the Princess could do to help.

"Forgive me father, it wasn't my place to ask." Naomi said taking the letter and tucking it into her pocket.

"Your mother was just as curious Naomi." Rokus said looking at his daughter, she always reminded her of his wife and could never stay mad at her. "Now go before it gets dark."

"Yes father." Naomi said.

(Kruger Family Winter House, Twine Province, Aries)

Nao lay on a hill a short distance from a cabin with a pair of binoculars looking through them at the cabin seeing Natsuki walk past a window. Her man followed Natsuki out of Wind into Northern Aries to the Twine Province deep into the woods. Nao had wondered where the heck Natsuki was going until she found the cabin quite a few miles off the main road. She didn't want to admit it but she had gotten lost a couple of times until she discovered a dirt road leading to the property although with all the overgrowth it wasn't hard to miss it.

Natsuki walked around wearing an old torn t-shirt and a pair of jeans with a bottle of vodka in one hand. Nao glanced around the cabin seeing Natsuki's bike in a small shed then she looked back to the cabin seeing quite a few pistols and rifles hanging on the walls and on the table. Natsuki had always been a gun nut but she had more then enough guns. She watched Natsuki stumble into the table tripping then pulling herself back up. "Kruger what have you done to yourself?" Nao asked then crept up towards the house sneaking into the back door but stood as she felt a pistol pressed against her head.

"What the fuck are you doing here Zhang?" Natsuki asked one of the many pistols she had held firmly to Nao's temple.

"Finding out what the hell the principal of Garderobe is doing holed up in a shack in the middle of the woods." Nao said unconcerned with a gun being held on her, "Mind putting your gun down?"

"Wrong answer," Natsuki said then pulled the trigger and the gun clicked and she whistled "Lucky little spider. I left the safety on." Natsuki lowered the gun and took a drink of the bottle.

Nao stood up walking towards the door but stopped when Natsuki pointed the gun at her this time flicking the safety off. "Stop messing around Kruger. What the hell are you doing out here? You just up and left leaving me to run the school."

"Look at this." Natsuki said pushing her hair back exposing her ear where there was no GEM, "I quit." She let go of her hair took the last drink of the vodka then smashed the bottle on the wall to her side.

"I was told before I took this position that there was no quitting." Nao said remembering one of the many lectures Natsuki had given her before becoming a column.

"Yeah but you didn't waste twelve years on a whore." Natsuki said dropping into a chair and spitting on the ground.

"You banging Viola had nothing to do with you being a column." Nao said dropping into a chair next to Natsuki.

"Don't say that name." Natsuki said pointing the gun at Nao again.

"She used you Kruger get over it and stop wallowing in your on self pity." Nao said quickly reaching out and hitting Natsuki catching her off balance enough to take the gun. Nao threw the gun to the other side of the room amazed that she was able to take the gun from Natsuki but knew that it never would have happened if Natsuki was sober. The former principal batted at Nao but her reaction was to slow and she nearly fell out of her chair. "Pathetic Kruger, you know I fought with you all these years but truth is I admired you. It seems I was wrong you are weak."

Natsuki mumbled a swear word under her breathe before she said, "Leave then."

"Not with you in this state." Nao said leaning back against the chair.

"Then quit your bitching." Natsuki said leaning back as well closing her eyes.

She didn't see Nao stand up and step in front of Natsuki slapping her, "Damnit Kruger, did Viola take your dignity when she left you?"

Natsuki stood up quickly smacking Nao back, "Don't talk about her!"

"What?" Nao said pushing Natsuki away from her, "About how Viola made you her bitch for twelve years and turned you into a leashed dog?"

"Fuck you." Natsuki said turning and walking away from Nao, "Get out."

"No." Nao said watching Natsuki continue to walk away. She walked after Natsuki surprising her as she shoved Natsuki against the wall. "Wake up Kruger. You got dumped move on."

"I said get out," Natsuki said trying to push Nao off of her but was unable to, "Before I make you."

"Before you make me? Hell Kruger you can barely stand." Nao laughed pushing Natsuki harder against the wall using her own body to press Natsuki to it unable to break free her own face only a few inches from Natsuki's face.

"What do you want Nao? Why do you even care?" Natsuki said then when Nao didn't answer there was a long pause. She found herself staring into Nao's lime green eyes seeing they were full of worry. Then without really know why or what she was doing Natsuki pushed back against Nao kissing her. Too shocked to say anything Nao was frozen for a couple of seconds then found herself returning the kiss and forcing Natsuki against the wall harder. Natsuki slid her hands under Nao's shirt and roughly started groping her. "I knew you never wore a bra."

"What are you doing Kruger?" Nao said finding herself unable to resist moaning as she leaned in kissing Natsuki's neck.

"What does it feel like?" Natsuki asked as she leaned her head back and released Nao's suspenders causing her pants to slide down barely catching on her hips.

"It feels good..." Nao said loosing control and allowing Natsuki to flip them around so she was against the wall.

"You like that don't you? Giving into me?" Natsuki said her hands moving to the edge of Nao's shirt. "You've wanted this for a long time."

"We can't do this." Nao said feeling herself start to shake as she leaned into Natsuki's touch. She hardly resisted as Natsuki lifted her shirt up pulling it over her head and dropping it on the ground.

"Like hell we can't." Natsuki said tracing her hands down Nao's chest and towards her rear cupping it.

"Fuck it...." Nao said then grabbed Natsuki by her hands forcing her around pushing Natsuki's hands above her head as she devoured her neck. She held Natsuki's hands with one of her own as the other grabbed the already torn shirt tearing it the rest of the way letting it drop to the ground next to her own shirt.

"Been a while hasn't?" Natsuki asked wincing as Nao bit into her neck, "You still straight?"

"Shut up Kruger." Nao hissed then slammed her against the wall again kissing her on the lips again. Nao often claimed to be straight but her encounters with Shiho lead to some confusion. The two red heads had been seeing each other on and off since they were Pearls. Nao said that she wasn't interested in women that Shiho was just a sexual outlet; though standing her now with Natsuki's tongue exploring her mouth Nao doubted herself. Why had she cared about Natsuki breaking up with Shizuru and why did she feel so attracted to Natsuki not just now but in the past as well?

Natsuki broke Nao's grip and punched her in the face before grabbing her by her pants. She shoved Nao backwards pushing her off balance until she fell on the table and pinned her there. "You want to try to make me the bitch think again." Natsuki said as she kissed her roughly.

"You always so rough?" Nao said groaning a little her back hurting from hitting the table. "Two can play that game." She let Natsuki kiss her thinking she had control then slipped out from under her grabbing Natsuki by the hair and flinging her to the sofa before jumping on her kissing her just as rough.

"It's not done yet and I think you are the one that likes it rough." Natsuki said then used her legs and vaulted Nao over her making her land on and break the coffee table. "You must be a happy camper Nao-chan." Natsuki smirked as she walked over to Nao. "Get up!" She pulled Nao up by her hair and started dragging her to bedroom.

Nao wasn't having it she quickly got to her feet and swept Natsuki's feet out from under her and guided her to the bed Natsuki falling face down on it. "Back on the bottom where you like it," Nao said then straddled Natsuki raking her nails down Natsuki's back making her arch into her.

"You're the bottom, damn bitchy whore!" Natsuki hissed then rolled them over and unbuttoned Nao's pants before she leaned down licking Nao's breasts. "Now stay down." Nao threw her head back moaning while her hands grabbed the bed. "That's more like it." Natsuki said then bit one of Nao's nipples while reaching into her pants and started rubbing her groin.

"God, fuck me Kruger." Nao moaned arching into Natsuki's hands. Natsuki started smirking as she switched to the other breast her hand moving to the edge of Nao's panties tracing the hem.

Nao grabbed Natsuki's hand stopping her but not pushing it away while she forced Natsuki to look at her with her other hand. "Say you want me." Nao said.

"I want you." Natsuki said trying to continue but Nao's grip only tightened.

"What do you want from me?" Nao asked as she still held Natsuki's chin.

"The same you want from me." Natsuki said finally able to push Nao back and grabbed both Nao's pants and panties ready to pull them down but didn't she only stared at Nao.

"Good, come on Kruger finish what you started." Nao said arching up encouraging Natsuki to continue. Natsuki let out a chuckle then quickly pulled the clothes off staring at Nao's nude body. "What's wrong Kruger been Viola's bitch for so long you forgot what you are doing?" Nao teased.

"No!" Natsuki said turning bright red, "I can still do it." Natsuki then shook her head as she tried to lean down but it felt like she was frozen.

"Whatever, if you won't I will." Nao said then threw Natsuki back licking her stomach. Natsuki whimpered and tried to push her stomach up. "God you're so hot, Come on Kruger tell me that you want to be fucked." Nao said then she licked down a little further.

"Fuck me! Fuck me Shizuru!" Natsuki shouted arching more into Nao closing her eyes.

Nao ignored Natsuki calling Shizuru's name and licked her way up sucking on Natsuki's breasts her hand rubbing between Natsuki's legs pressing hard feeling her wetness through her jeans.

Natsuki started moaning and softly whimpering, "I love you, Shizuru." Natsuki said unaware of what she just said.

"Damnit." Nao said then pushed off the bed seeing Natsuki laying there her eyes closed until she got off the bed.

"Why did you stop?" Natsuki said opening her eyes and rolling over looking at Nao standing there.

"You are helpless aren't you?" Nao said then walked over to Natsuki's closet digging out a clean shirt and a pair of pants.

"What are you talking about?" Natsuki said sitting up pulling the sheet around her suddenly feeling embarrassed about being shirtless.

"Look whenever you are your own master again come find me up otherwise crawl back to your mistress." Nao said finding a pair of boots and some socks putting them on.

"Get out before I shoot you." Natsuki said taking a pistol out of a drawer and pointing it at Nao.

"I mean it Kruger, if you ever get over her look me up you know where to find me." Nao said taking one last item out of the closet and walking out of the room. She left the house and headed to the shed where Natsuki's bike was surprised to see the key in it. Not being able to find the dirt road at first she had been forced to leave her car on the main road. It was a piece of junk she had 'borrowed' in the capital so she didn't really care. She looked at the coat she took from Natsuki's closet it being the coat Natsuki normally wore then put it on before climbing on the bike and starting it. As she sped away on the bike she heard a couple of gunshots and felt a bullet fly past her head.


	11. Chapter 11: Round Two

**Chapter Eleven:**

(Railway inbound to the City of Landon, Ginto Province, Eastern Aries)

Itsuko sat looking out the train window; Sara was across from her looking down at a folder she held in her lap. Itsuko looked from the window to Sara and chuckled "It's funny you know?" Itsuko said.

"Hmm…?" Sara asked looking up from the folder pushing her glasses back up on her nose.

"My first mission being to conduct interviews with you," Itsuko said still chuckling.

"Why is that funny?" Sara asked with a smile on her face wondering what Itsuko found so amusing. It was normal for new Columns to have their first missions be conducting interviews. Sara still remembered her tutorship with Maya.

"You don't remember do you?" Itsuko asked returning Sara's smirk. "You conducted my interview."

"That's right I did," Sara said then her smile turned into a frown, "I would have liked to have waited though before heading out again."

"Because of what's happening with the Principal and Meister Viola?" Itsuko asked looking out the window. Itsuko didn't know much about what happened between Shizuru and Natsuki, but she knew it had something to do with the war.

"The whole affair, it troubles me. Never has a Column up and left her post," Sara said. "And we've lost both the Principal and the Archmeister."

"Meister Viola will come back.... won't she?" Itsuko asked thinking perhaps Shizuru had just run off to blow some steam off, the same thing with the Principal.

"I don't know but the principal had to answer for it," Sara said remembering that Itsuko told about her about Natsuki being summoned to Fumi. She had spoken to Irina, but it hadn't gone anywhere. Sara had insisted that both she and Itsuko come back to Garderobe, but Fumi had ordered them to continue with their mission.

"I know, she didn't seem to care," Itsuko said equally worried about Natsuki and Shizuru.

"It's not any of our business really," Sara said picking the folder back up, tapping on it, signaling that they should focus on the mission.

"I guess not. How do you choose the questions asked during the interviews? I've talked with both Shie and Imari, none of our interviews were anything alike," Itsuko asked wondering if there was a form or script that was supposed to be used.

"You think them up as you go along. Your report is based on your opinion of the interviewee," Sara said. In her time as a Column, Sara had interviewed more students then she could count. She wasn't exactly surprised that she had forgotten that she was the one to interview Itsuko. It was hard to remember with having done so many interviews during her tenure.

"So what do we need to look for? To be honest, you and I talked about the oddest things," Itsuko said. Her interview hadn't seemed like one at all, she was actually quite surprised when Sara had told her the interview was over.

"That is something you figure out over time," Sara said. "The goal is to get a feel for the girls. Mostly you just get to know them. After time you'll be able to spot who is meant to be an Otome and who isn't."

"I see," Itsuko said nodding as she overheard the intercom announcing that they'd arrived in the eastern province city of Landon.

(Kruger Family Winter House, Twine Province, Aries)

Natsuki sat in a chair wearing a pair of jeans, and a tank top. She reached over and took a drink of her coffee, looking down at the cup, realizing it was one of Shizuru's cups. Over the last few weeks, Natsuki had taken to drinking quite a bit, but today her cup only held coffee. She had one hell of a hang over and rather than add to it, she chose to sober up even if it was just a little. She growled and threw the mug across the room, shattering it on the fireplace. So many things reminded her of Shizuru, she had come here to get away from her, but she had forgotten about the many times they had come here to get away for a while.

"Hung over again aren't you?" Nao asked as she slid in a window still wearing Natsuki's clothes.

"What the hell do you want, Zhang?" Natsuki asked glaring at Nao, "You better have brought my bike back without a single scratch."

"You're precious bike is safe. Did you forget already? You got me all hot and bothered. Then you spent half the night whining for you master. Broken bitch," Nao said looking around for a clean glass giving up and picking up a bottle drinking directly from it. She cringed at the taste of some very strong tequila. Nao could hold her liquor, but never really cared for tequila, it gave the worst hangovers.

"If I recall you were the one to puss out," Natsuki said snatching the bottle back taking a drink from it, seeming not at all phased by the strong drink, drinking it as easily as water.

"I don't sleep with crybaby weaklings. Become your own woman, not a bitch. Maybe then we'll _talk_," Nao said sitting down in one of the chairs, holding her hand out for the bottle, and surprised when Natsuki handed it back. Trying not to think about it, she took another drink, hoping it would help her figure out why the hell she had come back.

"Get the fuck out before I put another hole in your head," Natsuki said picking her gun up from the table, forgetting that she was cleaning it, and watched as the slide flew across the room landing at Nao's feet.

"Nice job bitch," Nao said as she picked it up and tossed the slide out the window "What now?"

"I could beat your ass into the ground and throw you out or you can just leave now. Leave the bike and take my coat off," Natsuki said tossing her half of the pistol on the table as she took the bottle back and took another drink.

"Take it from me ... bitch." Nao said. She flipped the collar up with a smirk on her face, "I kinda like it." Natsuki got up and punched Nao, who blocked it, and then returned a hit to Natsuki's stomach, forcing her to double over coughing. "You can't even get your coat back and I wanted to fuck you so bad too. What a turn off."

Natsuki coughed a few more times, took a few more swings at Nao, hitting her repeatedly in the stomach, then snuck in a punch to her jaw, "Don't count me out."

"A-ha! This is how it should be," Nao said spitting a bit of blood on the floor. With a laugh she turned back to Natsuki landing a kick to her head and spinning her back to Nao. "Bring it on Kruger." Nao gave Natsuki another kick, to the back of her knees, and grabbed her by her long hair. "What a bitch."

Natsuki reached into Nao's boot and pulled a knife from the sheath hidden there. Natsuki cut three inches of her hair off, making Nao lose her balance, and fall into a table breaking it. Natsuki had taken the pieces of the other table, broken during their previous fight, and brought in a table from another room; it seemed she would be doing it again.

As Nao was getting up, Natsuki threw the knife to the ground, rushed her, hitting her in the stomach lifting her off the ground. Thrown over Natsuki's shoulder, Nao crashed into another coffee table; at this rate Natsuki would be forced to make a few new tables. At the very least, it would give her something to do when Nao decided to stop bothering her. The momentum from Natsuki's tackle had sent them sliding, with the broken table debris, into the bedroom.

"Whoa dizzy," Nao said as she got up weaving and stumbling. Natsuki slammed Nao into the wall lifting her hand to punch her, but punched the wall next to her head instead. Natsuki swore a few times, in Arian, and then grabbed Nao's hair, pulling her forward and kissing her. "Round two," Nao said with a smirk, leaning back, waiting for the next kiss or hit, hoping it would be a kiss.

"Shut up you little spider," Natsuki said pushing her against the wall kissing her again. The fourth Column relaxed a bit, intensely glad that she hadn't been hit, and enjoyed the feel of Natsuki's tongue in her mouth. "Finally giving in? Admit it; you've wanted to fuck me for years."

"A means to an end," Nao said returning the kiss with as much force as Natsuki kissed her. "I'm horny you're horny so we fuck."

"Whatever I've seen how you leer at me, when you think no one is watching. You want me, always have," Natsuki said pushing her coat off Nao's shoulders.

"It is you who wants me. I remind you of what your worthless life could be," Nao said as she bent her forearms to keep the coat from falling.

"What a fledging Column that doesn't realize the fun and games with her little gang is over?" Natsuki said as she moved to Nao's neck kissing it.

"Nice try. Keep going and see what happens," Nao said turning her head to the side giving Natsuki more room to kiss her neck.

"I don't think you can handle it. Up until now, you've only had girls. I'm a woman," Natsuki said as she tried to keep biting at her neck but Nao pulled away. "Fine what do you remind me of?"

"Of the freedom you gave up to waste near half your life with someone who sold what was yours for her own twisted sense of priority. Now you are nothing more than a broken and lost shell of a being," Nao said.

"Let me guess, you think you can fix me?" Natsuki said trying to kiss Nao again, but she moved away. Unfortunately for Nao, the wall got in her way, and Natsuki licked the side of her neck.

"No one can fix you but you. I only came to see if you even can," Nao said feeling her whole body shiver, Natsuki's warm tongue trailing a heated path along her neck.

"Whatever I don't care about that, I don't care about you, and I don't care about her," Natsuki said grabbing Nao by the coat, twisting her around by it, and then threw her onto the bed taking the coat off her in the process. "You know what, I'm just going to start taking what I want, and right now I want you."

"Aah, just do it! Would it make you feel more like a woman if I begged?" Nao asked taking her shirt off, tossing it aside. Natsuki didn't say anything; she just hungrily leered at Nao before she leaned into her. Natsuki kissed and sucked Nao's right breast while her left hand roughly fondled the other. This caused Nao to whimper slightly, "Ow not so rough."

"Stop faking, it doesn't suit you," Natsuki said biting down on Nao's nipple eliciting a pleasurable hiss from her.

"Just trying to have a little fun," Nao moaned arching into Natsuki's mouth.

"Fun for you usually involves someone getting hurt or at least sore the next day. I don't know how many times I saw Shiho limping down the halls like she spent the entire day in Butou, only there were none on the schedule," Natsuki said switching over to the other breast.

With a surprising move, Nao backhanded Natsuki and flipped them over, straddling Natsuki's waist. "You should have asked for the bonus package!" Nao said then pulled Natsuki's top off fondling her, "I can see why she kept you so close. You're damn near perfect." Nao squeezed her breasts, surprised that Natsuki was larger than she looked when in her clothes.

Natsuki threw her head back and moaned while she arched into Nao. She leaned down and bit Natsuki's clavicles while still fondling her breasts. "Kami-sama, fuck me...." Natsuki moaned.

Nao backhanded her again. "You don't tell me what to do," Nao said as she leaned down grinding on top of Natsuki, while grazing her throat with her teeth. Natsuki went silent save for a quiet moaning, still pushing into Nao. "Roll over Natsuki-onee-sama." Natsuki rolled over grabbing onto the pillow, feeling like she did when she was a Coral and it was her first time. Nao took the rest of both of their clothes off, leaving Natsuki only in a pair of panties, and herself naked. Nao leaned forward and teasingly started biting Natsuki's back, "Your body is so hot and perfect."

Natsuki squeezed the pillow tighter, biting her lip and whimpering, "Nao-chan....." Natsuki wasn't a stranger to sex, but she had to admit that she hadn't so much as kissed anyone other then Shizuru.

Nao slid down further licking and kissing as she did, "You _are_ enjoying _this_, aren't you, Natsuki-onee-sama?"

Natsuki let out a growl and looked back at Nao, "Don't call me that...."

"It would seem you only stay girly when being smacked around," Nao said pinning Natsuki's neck with her hand as she nibbled just below her hairline. "You like it rough don't you?"

Natsuki struggled, but when Nao hit just the right spot she relaxed, and began moaning a little. She bit her lip thinking how Shizuru liked to kiss her there, granted she was a little gentler; this was similar yet different at the same time. Nao reached down and slid her hand between Natsuki's legs, rubbing the warm smooth skin of her thighs, enjoying how silky it felt, causing Natsuki to take a quick breath.

Teasing her, Nao paused her hand lingering as she also stopped kissing Natsuki just staring at her, "Don't stop. Keep kissing my neck......" Nao held back wondering if she should continue to keep teasing or not, in the end she resumed kissing Natsuki's neck and stroking her inner thighs. "More...." Natsuki growled at herself for begging, realizing how long it had been since she and Shizuru were together, and it didn't feel forced. They had been fighting for months and had become less intimate as time passed. Natsuki even recalled a couple of times that she had slept on the couch in her office.

Nao traced her hand up the edge of Natsuki's underwear, caressing her butt along the way before she whispered in Natsuki's ear, "Turn over."

Natsuki looked over her shoulder almost expecting to see Shizuru there, but saw Nao instead. "Make me," Natsuki said.

Nao sighed and grabbed Natsuki's shoulders rolling her over, managing to straddle her again. "I was starting to get bored," Nao said then bit the smooth skin just below Natsuki's breasts, while keeping her weight on Natsuki to her advantage.

Natsuki threw her head back, letting out a full moan, and then looked up at Nao, "Are you going to fuck me or play around all night?"

Nao growled and punched Natsuki in the left thigh. "I'm calling the shots here. You'll get yours when I say you do," Nao said then moved up sucking hard on a breast before biting it. "That's how you like it isn't it? The big bad principal of Garderobe turns to mush in her lover's arms." Natsuki let out a hiss then tried to sit up, but Nao pushed her back down. She leaned up, on her hands, looking at Natsuki hovering just above her lips, "Does Natsuki-onee-sama want to get off?" Nao asked as her hand snaked into Natsuki's underwear rubbing her.

Natsuki reached up, grabbing Nao by the hair, pulling her closer. "I said stop calling me that," Natsuki said pulling them into a kiss.

"You look good for your age, let's see if time has truly been good to you," Nao said teasing Natsuki.

Natsuki slammed her hands down on the bed, grabbing hold of the sheets, lifting her hips into Nao's hand wanting her to continue. "I'm not that old," Natsuki said.

"Sure you aren't," Nao said pushing a finger into Natsuki, smiling as she felt Natsuki's walls tighten around her fingers as she slid a second digit into her.

"Shut up spider.... and focus on what you are doing," Natsuki ordered even though her breathe was heavy, still rocking into Nao, and wrapped her arms around Nao's neck kissing her.

"I'm quite good at multitasking." Nao said continuing to thrust into Natsuki, while her other hand squeezed Natsuki's breast and they resumed kissing.

Natsuki leaned into Nao, wrapping her arms around her tighter, and biting down on her lip hard enough to draw blood. Nao forced Natsuki back on the bed, reaching up to wipe some blood from her lip. "You drew blood, I'm so into you right now I didn't even feel it," Nao grabbed Natsuki's underwear, pulled them off, tossing them on the floor as she kissed her way down. She spread Natsuki's thighs open, sliding her warm tongue between her lips, still thrusting her fingers into Natsuki's wet core.

"Kami-sama!" Natsuki shouted grabbing the pillow above her head and squeezing it, trying not to squeeze her legs together.

"Enjoying that Natsuki-onee-sama?" Nao said adding another finger as she sucked hard on her clit. Natsuki unable to say anything let go of the pillow and grabbed Nao's hair feeling her body start to shake. "Dammit Kruger, you taste as good as I imagined. Come on Natsuki, cum in my mouth!"

Panting hard, Natsuki somehow found the breath to say, "Ah ah I'm....I'm....Ahhhh!" She then started shaking uncontrollably, biting her own lip hard enough to bleed.

"Stop trying to hold it in!" Nao said speeding her thrust and sucking harder.

"Oi Nao!" Natsuki yelled as she came still shaking and continued shaking for a while.

Nao continued until Natsuki stopped shaking and then looked up licking her lips before saying, "Oi Nao? What the hell was that?" She pulled herself up and sat next to Natsuki wincing as her back and head touched the headboard "Damn forgot about that. Suppose fucking you was worth getting the crap kicked out of me."

"Quit your whining." Natsuki said surprising Nao as she recovered quickly and flipped her over, pressing Nao to the bed kissing her.

"You have my attention," Nao said as she returned the kiss.

"Mind you, I can give, as good as I get," Natsuki said pinning Nao's hands above her head with one hand while the other reached to the floor grabbing her socks. Natsuki tied them around Nao's wrists and then firmly to the headboard.

"Kinky, you might not be a waste time after all," Nao said testing the knots Natsuki used finding that they were well tied. She jerked as Natsuki pressed two fingers into her not giving her any foreplay. "You always were one to get right down to business."

"Trust me, I've been doing this a lot longer then you," Natsuki said thrusting into Nao's wetness, pulling her fingers out licking them.

"Experience..." Nao said cutting herself off with a moan, "Is always a plus, but teasing is still teasing."

"We are just getting started, that was just taste," Natsuki said tracing around Nao's swollen lips.

"At this point there isn't much I can do," Nao said emphasizing her point by tugging on her bonds while she breathed heavy, "I'm at your mercy, Natsuki-onee-sama."

"You have no idea, Kohai," Natsuki whispered finally giving into Nao's nickname and coming back with her own. Natsuki started stroking Nao, reaching over to the night stand, pulling something out of the drawer, not letting Nao see it until she thrust it into her.

Nao shuddered and nearly passed out before regaining control. "What the fuck did you just slam into me?" Nao shouted feeling it stretch her.

"Come on, Shiho never used toys on you?" Natsuki asked pulling out the dildo showing it to Nao before she licked it and thrust it back into her fast and rough.

"Oh you are so going to pay for this." Nao said her body betraying her words as she rocked into Natsuki.

"You aren't doing anything when I'm done," Natsuki said quickening her pace even more, "Other than sleeping for a few days."

Nao lay there blinking her eyes, thinking that she surely was seeing stars, "Kami-sama, you are good."

"Told you, I've had more experience than you," Natsuki said still thrusting into Nao, while she tilted her head down and started to suck on Nao's breasts.

"Fuck me so silly I forget how I got here," Nao moaned gripping the head board feeling the wood start to groan. Natsuki switched to her other breast, increasing her pace with the dildo. "Oh god...more," Nao whimpered.

Natsuki smirked letting out a quiet chuckle pausing what she was doing, "Juliet Nao Zhang, the Break String Spinal, leader of the infamous Stripes Gang, begging for more."

"So what?" Nao said throwing her head back as Natsuki started thrusting again, "It won't leave this room."

"Afraid I'll tell the world that you begged for it?" Natsuki said leaning up pressing a kiss to Nao's cheek. "Well Kohai?"

"Not at all," Nao said through ragged breath, wildly bucking into the dildo, "You don't have the guts to do it."

"And if I stop?" Natsuki gave an evil grin as she pulled out, holding the dildo up, licking it slowly enjoying the taste of Nao on it.

"I was never that rude to you." Nao said her body shaking on the edge of an orgasm.

"I just wanted to taste you, love," Natsuki said as she leaned down pushing the dildo back in, licking Nao at the same time. "You taste so sweet."

"It feels so good," Nao gasped and cursed herself for not being in control and then thought for a moment at what Natsuki just called her, "Natsuki, who am I?"

"Who do you want to be?" Natsuki whispered leaning up and pressing a kiss to Nao's cheek.

Nao didn't say anything; she just looked to the wall, away from Natsuki still whimpering. Natsuki pulled the dildo out, dropping it on the side of the bed, replacing it with her fingers. "Natsuki, I'm... I'm." Nao said quivering.

"Cum for me, baby," Natsuki said kissing the inside of Nao's thigh before moving back to her center licking it while her free hand started rubbing the spot had just licked.

"I... love ... you," Nao said as she started to cry, coming to a climax beyond anything she had ever felt. Natsuki instinctively crawled up beside Nao after she licked her clean, untied her, and rested her head on Nao's shoulder kissing it softly. "You know what the biggest joke of all is?" Nao asked as her body recovered slowly

Natsuki lazily drew circles on Nao's shoulder pressing a kiss to it every so often. "What?"

"I do actually love you. What a stupid bitch I am," Nao said wrapping her arm around Natsuki, softly biting her lip as she waited for a response.

"Nao.... I.... I.... don't... know.... what... to... say...." Natsuki stuttered.

"That got you awake didn't it?" Nao said trying to make light of it, but she started to cry before she turned away completely.

"I....." Natsuki said leaning into Nao kissing the back of her neck. "Nao…"

Nao got up from the bed, turned back towards Natsuki, and punched her square in the jaw. "How does it feel to be a snake, Natsuki? I actually thought you could let Shizuru go. Well now you're even," Nao shouted, clearly hurt, as she grabbed the borrowed clothes off the floor including Natsuki's coat.

Natsuki rubbed her jaw, sat up, and wrapped the sheet around her, "Nao, I don't know what it is between us. You come into my house and throw yourself at me. What was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to love me! You were supposed to hold me in your arms and tell me that it's okay and make love to me!" Nao said crying as she pulled each article of clothing on quickly. "This is not it! This is not fucking it!"

"How can you expect me to do that so soon? How long have you known about that whore? Have you just been waiting for her to fuck up, so you could move in on me?" Natsuki shouted standing from the bed wearing only the sheet.

"I had my suspicions, but we all found out during your 'death', Maya made us promise not to say anything," Nao said putting her boots on.

"Nao, I'm not saying there can't be anything between us. I just need... time." Natsuki said trying to move closer to Nao.

"Go back to your life, Kruger," Nao said as she left the room, walking over to the window she came in through, "Go back to the school. It's what you are good at."

Natsuki precariously followed Nao into the other room, walking around the table debris, and grabbed Nao by the wrist pulling her to a stop. "Nao, that isn't who I am anymore, I don't know who I am. Stay, help me figure it out."

"I can't. You need to make up or come to some peace with Viola and restore Garderobe. We can't, only you can." Nao said swinging her legs through the window. "I can't bear to be around you right now."

"I don't understand half the stuff going on in my life, but I know that isn't me anymore," Natsuki said as her body and her brain tried to reconcile the recent events she had been through. Nao ignored her, climbed out the window, walked over to the bike and started it. Natsuki didn't say a word, she just watched as she rode off on her bike again.


	12. Chapter 12: True Feelings

**Chapter Twelve: True Feelings  
**

(Border Deserts, Aries)

Three women walked down a dark corridor, the shift in trim and heading could be felt as the airship made one of many turns to avoid Arian scouts and radar. If they were discovered too soon it would give the military of the mighty nation time to prepare for the army of the dark obsidian. The Valkyrie, a collection of Garderobe's unfit dregs, thought to be gone since Grand Duke Nagi's defeat.

"I have waited far too long for this. I can taste the blood of those mass-produced bitches on my tongue," The taller one said. The signet on her shoulder would indicate her to be someone of great leadership. The emerald haired one simply grinned and sighed. "Soon, Mein Dame, all this will be yours."

"Relax my impatient general. The time will come and you will have what it is you want," Tomoe said smiling to herself as she continued down the hall. The one to her right, a bespectacled mousy brunette sighed as she shuffled papers about in her arms, while trying to keep sense of all the information she possessed. But it was_ her_ job to know everything and be everywhere. "You seem impatient, _Drei_. Is there anything that you foresee as a problem to us?" Tomoe asked her third in command.

"The reports seem to be coming together _**too**_ well. Garderobe is inactive. Two, Three and Four are missing, while we are jamming One and Five. They were last spotted to the north of us. Even if they spot us, they are cut off from Garderobe. The world is just waiting for something to come," Juria said as she pushed her glasses up.

"You worry _too_ much, Juria. Are your spies not as thorough as you thought?" Alicia on the far left asked. Juria's face tensed and then relaxed.

"I agree with _Zwei_. You do seem distracted and_** I**_ need you focused. In the next few hours, you will be in charge of an important operation. I cannot accept failure from _either_ _of you_," Tomoe said as they rounded a corner, "One more time, what was the last report on Garderobe's columns?"

"The Ice Silver Crystal, Graceful Amethyst and Break String Spinel are AWOL. My sources say the Director can only locate, the Break String Spinel, and she is half way to Artai. The Galactic Marine was last seen, with The Cerulean Citadel Zircon, boarding a cross country train to the capital. They will arrive ten minutes before the operation is to begin." Juria read off her reports, feeling a bit better about the situation, though she was irritated that she had to repeat herself.

"Is communication blocked as planned?" Tomoe asked entering a conference room with the two.

"It seems those Schwartz bastards are good for something. Non-military communication has been offline for the past twenty-four hours. That includes the communication bands that Garderobe uses." Alicia said looking over at Juria as if she had just stolen her thunder.

"Do you think they are onto us?" Tomoe asked.

"It's likely, but there is nothing they can do. With the attack to Garderobe's systems, they won't be much of a threat," Juria stated.

"What of the others?" Tomoe asked a grin on her face as she saw her third in command flinch. She knew the report quite well having read it only a few hours ago, but still she enjoyed seeing the spy get flustered.

"Break String Spinel has been declared AWOL; she was last seen leaving Garderobe. They have been monitoring her GEM, it's heading towards Artai. The Ice Silver Crystal and Graceful Amethyst have been declared deserters," Juria said as she remembered her encounter with Shizuru Viola and the result of that encounter. She looked to Tomoe wondering if she suspected anything or if she was just ensuring each of them knew their part in the attack.

"The two strongest of the columns just up and leave? That's very odd." Tomoe said as she smirked. "Very odd indeed, Garderobe should be in summer break right now. There's probably nobody there, but that old crone and the nun-like one…Oh and Irina Woods," Tomoe said recalling the report, which had been leaked by Juria's spies, about her former classmate becoming the new director.

"I really don't like sending so few. There are still two of the most powerful Otome on the other side of the city," Alicia finished as she saw one of Tomoe's violet eyes dart over in her direction.

"Tell me Wells, why did_ I_ bring you here? _I_ pulled you out of that disgusting leg-breaking job. You were nothing but a common thug, following orders and wasting all your pay doing cocaine!_ I_ cleaned you up and give you a purpose. This is how you repay _me_, by second guessing my strategy? Need I remind you the way a command structure works? _I give the orders and you follow them!"_ Tomoe said now visibly angered. Juria looked away as Alicia kneeled before Tomoe. It was not soon after her knees met the ground before she was backhanded from each direction.

"My Apologies, Mein Dame, it will not happen again." Alicia said as she felt her hair being pulled upward and her eyes met the pair that glowered down at her.

"This is an unpleasant sight. If you cannot trust me, then those who are under you cannot, stand." Tomoe said as Alicia stood. As she stood her commander embraced her.

"We are sisters-in-arms. In order for our vision to succeed, you must trust me implicitly. You and Drei are my robe and element, in a matter of speaking. It is she that protects me with her information and you that destroys all that stands in our way. If you break, then our enemies will trample us. I need you, Zwei…" Tomoe said as she stood on her toes and leaned into Alicia's ear, "You hate Kruger as much as I do. But for now, we must take care of the rest. Stand with me, I will give you the life and world that you have desired for so long." Tomoe brushed her lips on her second's ear; though she could not see the twinge of color that came to her informers face.

"I am looking forward to that time… the time when you order me to destroy them. I'm really looking forward to it. I really, really am." Alicia said her Annamian accent growing thick as a demonic smile formed and she fell in before her commander.

Tomoe gazed upon Alicia lovingly. Again she did not see Juria's face tighten with anger. Tomoe smiled and stroked her hand down Alicia's cheek, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Alicia's lips. The general returned Tomoe's kiss but it seemed forced. It was true that Tomoe had taken her general into her bed, but Alicia hadn't exactly enjoyed it. Not so much that she wasn't interested in women, but that she wasn't interested in Tomoe. The green haired woman had been rough and forced Alicia to take the submissive role. Alicia had only gone along in fear of losing her position.

"When the time is right, for now leave me. Fight for me and if you honor me, you will be rewarded tonight," Tomoe said as 'Zwei' left. She then turned to her third.

"Something is not right. I can sense your emotions, your discomfort. Are you jealous…? Juria…?" Tomoe said, almost seductively, as she rounded on the bespectacled girl, touching her neck, feeling the wanton desire as she leaned into Tomoe's hand. One of the reasons Alicia Wells had rose through the ranks so fast was that she reminded Tomoe of her Onee-sama and was a good substitute until she had her.

"Jealousy … is useless. My only wish is to serve you, Mein Dame." Juria said feeling her pulse rise. What she wanted she could never have. Well, at least, not completely.

"Oh, but you must have a reason to be here, all of us do. You are no different, though I think it is more then wanting to stick it to Garderobe," Tomoe said coming to stop behind Juria, pulling her shoulder length hair away from her neck. The informant struggled to keep her mind in check, willing her body not to succumb to her overwhelming hunger to be touched.

It had been so long since her time in the Otome academy. The first time Juria's onee-sama touched her, she had been scared. But nearly ten years was a long time to go without. When Tomoe had found Juria, in a menial government secretary job in Wind, it was like the dream was alive again. She could have gone her whole life without thinking about the life that she had tried to pursue. But this woman…this woman sought to start a new order destroying the one that had cast her aside for trying to get ahead.

"I… want it back, that life, my life. I can't help but need it now," Juria said as the words stuck in her throat.

Juria wanted her clothes to melt off, release her from all the heat she was feeling. It had been so long for her. Maybe it was the power? Or perhaps the charisma? But she could follow the one called 'Mein Dame' to hell and back. Was it love? She wanted it to be, but she knew that she could not have her love. All because of the one called Graceful Amethyst. _But_ shecould be happy in the knowledge that she sent her away. Juria gave her enough of that drug so that her mind would erase and she would get lost somewhere and die. Yes, that was what she wanted. Her anger mixed with the animalistic need to be cavorted upon.

"I see that, but I know what else you want. Incentives are a good thing. Without them I would not have been able to get to _her, _"Tomoe said as she let go of Juria's hair. The latter's anger raged at the mention of that blessed woman!

"If these operations go well, I will send someone to relieve your stress. Tell me, who do you fancy? She will be yours." Tomoe said coming around to face Juria.

_"You…"_ the thought shot across Juria's mind, but she curbed it. She was unable to speak it for the reason of either being too angry or too shy. "I need no one, being in your service is enough," Juria replied swallowing, pushing her glasses up again, as she pushed the urge down forcefully.

"Really…? Your body seems to think different. Alas, I cannot force you to take what you do not want," Tomoe said turning and leaving the room.

After the door slid shut, she slammed the stack of papers on the table, and her glasses on top of it. She turned and pulled a bottle from the cabinet and took large swallow from it. She had been drinking heavily since completing her 'personal' mission. Her nerves needed it, as did her mind. Juria did well to hide the drinking, not that the effects lasted long. The modifications that she and the others received to their nano-machines maximized their healing ability, including clearing toxins. She sat in a conference chair and began to curse herself. She could have all she wanted, but not everything, not that which mattered most.

"Still, still, still, still! Why can't I just say it?! Even just being in her bed … damn it!" Juria said as she began to sob knowing in a few hours she would be practically handing Earl to the one she loved. She continued crying knowing it would still not be enough, that even this would 'never' be enough.

(Otome Barracks, Hexagon, Aries)

All was dark in the barracks room except for a table in the center with the lights above it on. Five women sat around it in various states of uniform undress. The stacks of chips on the table indicated that they were playing the game that many before them had played and lost.

"You're bluffing Marcus! Your left eye starts to go cross when you lie!" A younger dark haired woman said as she threw a few chips in the center of the table. Another woman that looked much related to the first tossed in chips. Two others tossed in chips as well.

"I see why you don't run your mouth anymore, Chie. Chibi-Chie talks enough smack for the both of you. Call," Hyoni Marcus said as her turn came.

"Crap is crap. I'm out," Kazue said tossing her cards at the dealer. The others in the room glanced to the blue haired girl, throughout the entire game she had hardly said a word, but that was just how she was. Kazue never really said much.

"I really don't know why you three have to talk shit anyway. Hyoni-san is right. You do talk too much, Shie." Junko said as she raised the pot. She then looked at Chie as if she should say something.

"What? I tried muzzling her years ago and it didn't work then. She always talks a lot during cards. It's so she can drown out the buzzing noise in her head. Whoops, I'm out too," Chie said as she put her cards down.

"It's just me, Marcus, and stone-faced Junko. I'm _so_ scared," Shie said as she pushed the rest of her chips in.

"Captain, that's not a good idea. You've already lost a month's pay on this game," Jenna said softly as she shuffled the cards. If Shie lost this hand, she no doubt would be borrowing money from her, and she already owed her close to a month's pay.

"Stop being such a nit, Michaels. I'm about to win it all back!" Shie said confidently. She had intended on buying Imari a nice necklace with it, but the poker game came first.

"You should listen to your second, Hallard. She's the one guarding your back." Hyoni said as Jenna dealt the river. Junko folded, leaving just Shie and Hyoni.

"I think you should know that if I win this game, I'm going to dance on this table. I'll dance for you, Marcus," Shie smirked and placed her cards on the table. "Three beautiful ladies…beat that." Hyoni looked at her cards and then the five on the table and sighed.

"I should know better then to try to bluff a blockhead…Two pair," Hyoni said tossing the cards on the table, hearing rather than seeing the winner stand on the table. Shie tugged on the buttons of her shirt pretending to do a strip tease, though she still wore an undershirt.

"Good lord, I'm witnessing a true show of valor," Junko said pulling some money out of her pocket, tossing it at Shie's feet, and taking a drink from a bottle. Kazue shook her head and threw money on the table. Jenna tried to clean up the table just as Shie made it shift and send all the chips falling to the floor.

"I am the goddess of victory! Bow before me and my marvelous dancing! Come on Marcus, pay up!" Shie said squatting in front of Hyoni. She didn't see the latter's hand come up and pinch her nose or the rather large wad of currency being stuffed in her mouth. "Now that I've done the nation a favor…I'm taking a shower." Hyoni said as she walked away from the table.

"You are not getting anything from me, Shie. You still owe me three hundred. Call us even." Chie said getting up and walking towards the showers. Walking in behind Hyoni, both undressed, and got into separate stalls.

"How did you ever deal with her? She's so ungodly annoying," Hyoni said leaning to the side and turning the water on. She had done this since someone had rigged her favorite shower with green dye. Luckily, it had only caught the top of her head. Hyoni was able to hide it with her hat until it wore off, "I thought you were bad but… wow."

"I think she's bipolar, Imari just left here from a two week vacation stint. She'll be like that for about a week until she starts whining again," Chie said sticking her head under the water.

"So she has to rub it in that she just got two weeks with her girlfriend?" Hyoni asked watching the water and testing it with her hand before getting in. Several times before the hot water to the stall had been shut off and she still remembered that unpleasant feeling. At times life in the barracks could get pretty dull and both squads had taken up the pastime of screwing with Hyoni. It seemed every time she turned around someone was playing a prank on her.

"I wish I could say it was for a better reason, but yeah. That's about the size of it. I was ready to assign her to the cook this morning. Nothings worse then someone who's that obnoxious having sex the night before," Chie said blowing water out of her mouth.

"You don't have much room to argue that point. Whenever your maid is in town you get all annoying like that too," Hyoni jabbed back turning her back to the showerhead.

"I'm not that bad. And did you have to mention Aoi? Armitage won't let me leave and the queen won't let her leave either. I think I have been doing a good job not taking it out on you guys. Wait, do I detect a shred of jealously? When was the last time you were with someone?" Chie asked as she lathered up with soap.

"That's none of your damn business! I am not jealous!" Hyoni said rubbing her head in frustration. Hyoni had gone on a few dates here and there, but none of them went anywhere. The last time she had been with anyone was when both Chie and she had been Corals. Chie had been her first and she hadn't been with anyone else. It hadn't ended well. Chie moved onto someone else and left Hyoni standing there with her heart on the floor. For years Hyoni hated Chie and it wasn't until recently that they became civil with each other.

"Sure you're not. It gets to you that a windbag like my sister gets someone truly worth her weight in gold and you end up with no one," Chie said completely oblivious to how Hyoni felt.

"Unlike you two, I do not need sex to keep from seizing up. I'm a solider and a damn good one!" Hyoni said as she rinsed her hair out.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just kidding. You weren't half bad five years ago and you've probably gotten better with time. All good ones do you know," Chie said rinsing herself off.

"So you say," Hyoni said as she continued to wash.

"I ought to know best. I think I broke Shizuru-onee-sama's record when it came to seducing Corals," Chie said smirking as she washed her hair.

"You say that like it's a good thing. There should be a warning in the student handbook printed in large bold block letters: _It is highly likely that you will end up an old maid or a lesbian,_" Hyoni said as she got out of the stall. She still heard Chie guffawing.

"I know that it sounds wrong put like that, but that's just hilarious. The sad part is that it's mostly true. All the onee-sama's I know either have a girlfriend at some point in there career, never have sex at all, or end up like Akane Soir and reproduce like rabbits," Chie said getting the shampoo out of her hair thinking that Akane had three children already. Granted two of them were twins, there was a rumor that she was pregnant once again.

"Last I knew she was on her second or third baby? I guess she was destined to be a mother and not an Otome. She was the best I have ever seen," Hyoni said as she dried off.

"She's got what it takes to be a mother though. I don't think I could ever raise a kid. Aoi tries to talk about how she wants a rugrat, but I just let it go out the other ear," Chie said as she got out, last time she had talked to Aoi, she had mentioned again that she wanted to adopt. She didn't see the split second that Hyoni looked at her.

"You being 'daddy' is a scary thought anyway. I feel sorry for the hearts that kid will break," Hyoni said with a smirk.

"Oh? You think my kid would be like me? Aoi would never let me cultivate and train a lady killer," Chie said as she pulled a pair of boxer-briefs and a t-shirt on.

"Since when has anyone else's opinion stopped you from doing anything? Hell, sometimes you take orders like they're opinions," Hyoni remarked after getting her undershirt and sweatpants on. She knew this was something that pissed Haruka off to no end and Hyoni, as well as the others, often got in trouble when they snickered at Chie, doing it just to get Haruka flustered and stuttering. Hyoni had to admit that Chie was good at her job, it was probably the only reason she still had it.

"I have learned over the years that perhaps me thinking is not always a good idea." Chie said throwing her towel over her shoulders and walking out.

"You're still the same wild baka you were years ago. It's a damn shame," Hyoni whispered to herself as she too left. Once again it occurred to her, that maybe if things had been different, she would be as lucky as Aoi Senoh.


	13. Chapter 13: Flight

Chapter Thirteen:

(Main Hall Fuka Palace, Windbloom)

"Why am I standing here so late in the evening? Whose bright idea was it to have a delegate come so late?" Mashiro questioned, looking over at Aoi though she wasn't the one to answer.

"That would be you, my queen," Nina said as she waited for the quip.

Mashiro had insisted her card game with Arika not be interrupted, determined to beat her Otome. After it ran over into the time block she was supposed to meet with the delegate, who had insisted he see her today, she had Aoi reschedule. The rest of her schedule was full so Aoi had squeezed him in at the end of the day. It currently was eleven o'clock and she was ready for bed. The delegate was over half an hour late.

"_I_ did this? Aoi! Where is this baka who is making me wait?" Mashiro roared forth again. "And who the hell is he anyway?"

"Caspian de Rosaros the IX of the Florentine court," Aoi recited from a sheet that she slid back into her apron.

"It would figure. Does anyone know where they are?" Mashiro asked and was met with silence, "Don't rush to tell me all at once."

"I don't think anybody knows Mashiro-chan," Arika said finally finding her place in the conversation. Mashiro glared at her ready to yell at her about using the proper honorifics when in court, but neither of them noticed a servant run up to them.

"Mashiro-sama, the noble is not coming," the aide said and not too soon after was rewarded with a hard glare.

"I don't know what this world is coming to. Now I'm being stood up by nobles from other nations? Nina! You are flying to Florence right now!" Mashiro barked.

"Mashiro-sama, if Nina leaves now she won't make it there until tomorrow night. There is a nasty storm over Florence right now," Arika stated, as she tried to get Nina out of her master's angry impulse, hoping it wouldn't backfire and get her sent instead.

"If I want anything out of you, I'll order it out! Nina, leave, now!" Mashiro ordered again as Nina knelt before her.

"Yes Master." She said as her queen certified her.

"Tell that windbag of a king that I take this snub as if he did it himself," Mashiro fumed.

"Materialize," Nina said as her robe formed, "As you wish my queen." She turned and walked to the nearest balcony and exited.

"That settles that, Aoi, ready some supper. I want to eat and retire at sometime before the sun comes up." Mashiro said as she walked off. Arika rushed up as she saw Aoi bow and leave.

"Mashiro, did you really have to send Nina today?" Arika asked as her queen stopped dead in her tracks.

"Arika, did you forget that Nina, as well as yourself swore to serve me? I cannot allow any other country to throw dirt in my face and not do anything about it. It undermines me as a ruler," She said turning to Arika having to explain the way of politics, once again, to Arika.

"You had to send her out in the middle of the night just to go tell another ruler not to throw dirt in your face? That sounds a bit childish to me, Mashiro," Arika said and was rewarded with a glare.

"You don't sit on the throne, Anty, I do. You don't have to be bothered with thinking. Which, by the way, you are doing far too much of, especially for you!" Mashiro said sharply.

"So we're back to this again are we? 'Just do what I say. Don't think and we'll get along just fine?' I don't like being treated like I'm a fool Mashiro!" Arika fired back surprising Mashiro.

"Who ever gave you permission to call me by my first name, without an honorific, or even use my first name at all? I am your master! Maybe you should remember it!" Mashiro railed. If the shock on Arika's face wasn't a sign of her stinging surprise, the pink on her cheeks would be.

"I see …" Arika said as she bowed her head. It was enough for Mashiro to register the pain of her previous words and reconsider them.

"Arika … please … I'm…" Mashiro trailed until Arika bowed fully before her.

"You do not have to apologize to me, _Master._ I shall take my leave," Arika said as she turned and walked away with heavy steps. The queen stood in thought for several moments before heading to dining room. Arika would probably eat in the kitchen, or not at all, but Mashiro knew better then to go after her.

(Aries Rail Line Train #2323 - Car 5 bound for the Capital, Aries)

"Did you try rotating frequency bands, Sara-sempai?" Itsuko asked as her elder's phone spewed forth static.

"It's useless, this is intentional. Somebody is up to something. Garderobe's communication lines were created to cut through any type of interference. To not even be able to get through here means…" Sara trailed off as she looked through her window and saw large shapes in the night sky heading for the capital.

"What? What do you see?" Itsuko asked clearly nervous, looking out the window, her eyes catching what Sara had seen.

"Get a hold of yourself, Itsuko-san. We need to remain calm if we are going to keep ourselves in check at all." Sara said as she got up and walked back through the car with the probationary Column following her. After walking to the rear car and onto its roof, both braced against the high wind kicking up around them.

"Are those … airships?" Itsuko asked pointing at the figures in the sky.

"I'm afraid so. It would appear that the capital of Aries is to be attacked," Sara said as she tapped her GEM to no avail. Even from their height you could see that the airships were loaded for war.

"Is there anything we can do?" Itsuko asked looking up at the sky trying to keep her long hair out of her face.

"I can try to boost the power of the GEM transmissions. If we can get through then we can probably maintain them," Sara said taking out a flat box and turning it on. After a few moments, she tried her GEM again and it lit up.

"Meister Gallagher, Meister Tsukinobi what is going on? I haven't seen either of your tracking signals for a day and a half, now all of a sudden you pop up on my screen," Irina said though weak reception. They were the only two Columns she had contact with. Shizuru's GEM was secured in the Founder as was Natsuki's GEM. Irina had found it shortly after the principal left. She was able to track Nao, but the fourth Column ignored her when she tried to make contact.

"You needn't worry about that right now, Director. Secure the Founder and prepare for an assault. Also, prepare to materialize Itsuko-san and myself," Sara said thinking that an army of that size had to be planning a large scale attack. She looked at the ships seeing banners on them, but couldn't make out what nation it was. The flags were a design she had never seen. She couldn't help, but fear it was Tomoe. They hadn't been able to find her, but had heard rumors that she was planning her revenge on Earl.

"Assault? There's no one here, but Adam and myself. Miss Maria left after I told her that I lost your signals and Meister Steinberg is away on leave," Irina said as static blared through for a moment. Miss Maria hadn't said where she was going, but had mumbled something about finding those children that ran the place, and dragging them back by their ears.

"Onee-sama, why is everybody leaving? First the Archmeister, then the Headmistress, Nao-san has disappeared too, and now Miss Maria?" Itsuko asked deeply concerned.

"Now is not the time to ask those questions, get your mind here and now, where it belongs. Director, prepare for materialization," Sara ordered as she felt the tingle of her GEM activating.

"Materialize!" Both Columns said as their robes formed. Sara looked in partial awe at Itsuko. Seeing Itsuko's long cape and almost as long hair surprised her, she had never heard of a robe actually altering appearance, except in the case of Miss Maria who was young looking when in her robe.

"Onee-sama?" Itsuko asked as she looked at Sara. Her eyes were like blue mirrors. Itsuko had been told by Irina that this was a 'side effect' from her materialization. She worked with different types of energy as opposed to most Otome. Robes that utilized mental energy as an element were still quite new and few in existence; there was only one other GEM that used this medium. Shadow Dexterous Amber, the GEM of Shie Hallard.

"So, this is the form that the Cerulean Citadel Zircon takes, interesting," Sara said as she grabbed onto to Itsuko's shoulder and they both disappeared. "Stay very close to me. I don't know what kind of detection they have. It doesn't really matter anyway. We are flying to the Hexagon to warn them," She finished as both lifted off and began their flight hoping they could make it in time.

(Southern Grounds, Garderobe)

The grounds of Garderobe were quiet. Few lights were on in the buildings and the large bright lights that shone on the campus were the only signs of any activity. A small group repelled down the side of the southwestern wall. The slender forms were slightly over a dozen in number, but they were quick to avoid detection by diving behind an archway, just a few feet away from them. Quickly they set up a small pack, opening it and setting the communication equipment.

"Everyone is accounted for Commander," A soft voice said from behind a mask. It was not hard to tell that she was female, but then they all were.

"Affirmative, we won't be using robes for this. That is why we have the EMP charge," The commander said taking her helmet and facemask off, revealing a beautiful young woman with dark red hair. She turned to her assault team, "What is the ETA on the attack?"

"General Klien has ordered us to attack at twenty-one, forty-five. We have fifteen minutes until we begin the operation." The soft voiced one said.

"Very good, let's review in the meantime," The commander said as a holographic map was presented to her. "Okay, there is an access door on the right side of the Mausoleum. This has a tunnel that will lead right to the main labs and then to the outer chamber of the Founder. There is a massive blast door that seals the main chamber off from the rest of the lab. The only known way to open the door is with a key inserted into a control console nearby."

"We don't have a key. So how do we get in?" one of the others asked.

"You people in the attack team only need to worry about keeping your sights up. The location of the key, I will obtain. Once inside the chamber, the ordinance team will place the charge in the main processing crux. It is not likely that you will be able to get anywhere near the FCP so don't try. Just place the bomb near one of the power relays and it will short out the whole works. We can't even begin to think about how many traps may be in there, so just stick to the plan." Their commander said still pointing to the place on the map. Blue prints of Garderobe had also been among the items Tomoe had stolen from Garderobe.

"What about interference? What can we expect to happen in there?" The one who asked about the key asked.

"The last intelligence stated that only the Director and one of her technicians are inside. I doubt they will put up much of a fight. You have nothing to fear here ladies. The 'Blue Wolf' and 'Purple Snake' are gone so is the 'Red Spider'." She said saying the code names for the second, third and fourth Columns. She stopped listening to her communication piece and grinned looking at each of them. "Seems the hag and nun are gone as well. Let's get into position," The commander said and they began their approach.

(Valkyrie Command Ship, Outskirts of Arian Capital, Aries)

"And so it is time, time for the beautiful dance of battle; the last waltz of the Otome. Zwei, Drei, once I start dancing, I won't be able to stop," Tomoe said as she walked down the hall with her two top Generals.

"For as long as you possibly can, right?" Alicia asked as she pulled a pair of black leather gloves on her hands. "I too have waited far too long for this."

"I'm sure that your girls will waltz beautifully. Drei, status check," Tomoe said as they passed by more doors in the hall.

"Team Thunder is in position and will be attacking in five minutes. One hundred-fifty Valkyrie are awaiting orders to attack the Arian capital," Juria read from a single clipboard nestled in the crook of her right arm. Each Airship carried a number of Valkyrie though while Tomoe's flagship carried one hundred and fifty the others only carried one hundred. Still the numbers in her forces were quite impressive.

"They should be pretty predictable. As soon as they realize what is going on both squads will form a roaming blockade to try to keep us from attacking the Hexagon. That is until they realize that we outnumber them nineteen to one. Even so, when the alarm is raised it will still take them five minutes to be of any threat," Alicia stated.

"You have studied quite well. Klien-taichou, augment the other attack teams to disable the inner military targets. The less we destroy now, the less we have to rebuild later," Tomoe stated as they arrived at door to the bridge.

"I should advise that it is more tactically sound to destroy the military targets." Juria said as she reached out to the keypad.

"Drei, make a point to correct me again, you'll be spending this operation in the brig and executed upon our return home," Tomoe said as the door opened. She walked forward onto a massive bridge where a formation of ten long and fifteen deep lines awaited her. The two generals took their spots beside a platform that began its rise and stopped ten feet in the air.

"Comrades, Sisters-in arms, Friends and Revolutionaries: At last it is time," Tomoe paused as she clicked her heals together and was rewarded with the resounding reply of every boot on deck.

"Everyone, I have brought you back, as promised, to a time when the world was at your feet," She paused and waited for the response.

"Before Garderobe took it from us!" The chorus of dark Otome recited as if they had waited centuries to say it. Part of their training had consisted in mental conditioning that Tomoe was sure more then half of them didn't even realize.

"Indeed, Garderobe, the self imposed authority. The collection of rule bound wenches, who are so steeped in tradition and the old agreements, they stagnate the very world they seek to contain! _Their_ tests! _Their_ training! _Their_ decision! It is they who decide, with a farce of a council, who gets to wear the GEMs of nations. Who is good enough to do so and who is not. You are all here because they said you were not 'befitting of an Otome'. Befitting? What is befitting? Is it wrong to have a mind and a soul? Is it wrong to make ones own choices? _They say it is_! _An Otome lives to serve her master_! Our poor misguided sisters march into killing fields, to destroy other sisters and friends." She paused and continued.

"And _**why**_ is this? 'If there is war, we must contain it.' To contain by their definition is to train loyal attack bitches so that royals have power to destroy each other. But, _who_ actually has to fight? _Who_ is it that has to support an entire nation on their shoulders? _Who_ has to ready their weapon to tear though the flesh of someone they know or love? _It_ _is the Otome_! It is _**our blood**_ that gets spilled and _**our tears**_ that are shed." Tomoe said as she leaned on the guard rail. "But,_** I**_ think this is wrong. Why should we be the ones to have to sacrifice ourselves? _Why should we be the ones to have to sacrifice ourselves?_ For the pride of serving a master? Nobility? _Bollocks_! _Bullshit_! Since when is killing someone noble? If_ I_ must kill someone, _I_ will choose who that is! _I will decide_ who is worthy of protecting with _**my**_ power and who is a worthless cur. Ladies, if I may present you with an argument," she bowed and continued, "I think that **we** have the power to rewrite the system. To make it so it serves **us**, _not_ the spoiled rulers of the world. They should be thankful that _we even bother_ to risk **our** lives to save_ theirs_. It should be **us** who decides who lives and who dies. **We** are the gifted of this world. They shall remember this. _**Valkyrie, what is it that you desire most?**_" Tomoe said knowing what the response should be.

"_**Power and Strength**_," The crowd responded in a sweet symphony to her ears.

"_So it shall be_. And so you shall _rain_ from the sky and _**crush**_ the Arian army to bloody bits!" Tomoe said as she raised her arms.

"_**Freyja-dono**_!" The formation chanted over and over again and then grew quiet as the order came.

"Command to all personnel, see you on a victorious battleground or in Valhalla, whichever takes us this day!" Tomoe spoke while smirking. Tomoe's charisma provided the perfect medium for their subliminal training. She watched as the formation split and matched out the doors on either side of the bridge as her platform descended.

"Bring me the President. Leave none alive who stand in your way. Zwei, dance and show me what Hell looks like," Tomoe said as Alicia rose and bowed deeply.

"Roger, sit back and watch me. Never take your eyes off of me. Not even for a second," Alicia said as she walked out of the door. Tomoe looked over and down into operations trench, where Juria stood with two girls flanking her.

"Taichou, after the drops, pull us back to the capital's borders. I want to see this wonderful film unfold on widescreen," Tomoe said as she sat in the commander's chair on the upper level.

"As you wish, Mein Dame," Juria said and then turned, "Status."

"All units are in the catapult bays waiting for materialization," One of the board operators spoke.

"Status on the Founder?" Juria asked.

"One hundred percent power in ninety seconds." Another said.

"Thunder?" Juria continued going down her check list.

"Infiltration in twenty seconds, anticipated time until mission completion is five minutes," The intelligence officer said looking at her data panel.

"Set operation start time at five seconds after scheduled start of Thunder," Juria ordered.

"Confirmed…" the intelligence officer said as an alarm sounded and a time appeared on the bridges clocks and all over the ship. "Thunder to begin in … five … four … three … two…" she said as Juria awaited the last two digits to be counted off.

"No turning back now," Juria thought mesmerized by the numbers.


	14. Chapter 14: Disillusion

**Chapter Fourteen:** **Disillusion**

(Exterior access hatch, Mausoleum, Garderobe)

"… One. All teams in position, rush, rush!" The commander ordered repeating the countdown she heard through her GEM as the hatch was blown loose and pushed open. The assault team went in first, followed by the commander, and her second kept pace with her.

"One hundred and fifty feet to target point, one hundred forty-five…" the second rattled off. Assault was ten feet in front of and behind them.

"Get down! Get down now! Surrender!" One of the assault members barked and then there was the sound of gunfire.

"Cease fire! What's going on up there?" The secondary ordered trying to see ahead, but there were several Valkyrie blocking her view.

"We have the man, but Woods got away from us. She may be injured," the line squawked as the member finished speaking.

"Is he dead?" The commander asked they need to get the key from the Director and this man could be useful as leverage.

"Negative. He's been subdued," the Valkyrie said putting a pair of flexi-cuffs on the man as she dragged him to his feet. He stumbled a little; the round that hit him had grazed his calf. It was only a flesh wound, but he wasn't a soldier, and was unaccustomed to pain such as this.

"Roger, leave someone with him and continue. Hold fire unless you are fired upon. That's an order. We came here to neutralize the Founder, not kill everyone here," The lieutenant spoke again.

After a few more seconds, they passed the Garderobe technician and the guard, who had been left behind to watch him. "One hundred feet … ninety-five feet … ninety feet," the count continued as they moved on down the massive hall.

"Commander, a blast door just sealed about fifty feet in front of us," one of the assault team said again.

"Demolitions, do you have enough explosives to get through?" The commander asked annoyed, this door hadn't been on their blueprints, it must have been installed after Tomoe had stolen them.

"Negative, but one of us thinks she can get it to open," the leader of demolitions stated. "Clock?"

"Five minutes, twenty seconds, and counting," the second said.

"Damn it, alright, get your person up there. She'd better hope for both her own and our sake that she can get it. Or we'll all end up chained in the dungeons begging for death," the commander said.

There was very little room for error. They all knew of the torture rooms kept by their leader. She gave them every opportunity to advance, but failure was not tolerated. The Valkyrie tasked with opening the door swallowed hard, by far more afraid of her commander then the enemy.

"Confirmed," crackled the reply across the line.

(Central lab chamber, Mausoleum, Garderobe)

"Great, there is an assault team on the other side of the door. They couldn't have picked a better time. Sara-onee-sama was right, they bloody shot at me! I can't let them in, I've got to jam the door," Irina thought as she fished around in her pockets, looking for something thin, long and metal.

"I'm sorry, Adam. I can't risk them getting in here. If they don't kill you, you can make my life a living hell after this," Irina mumbled as she found what she was looking for.

Adam Kaine was her Assistant Director and the first male in the history of Garderobe, not to mention Irina's boyfriend and soon to be fiancé, if he ever worked up the nerve to propose to her. She pulled out a small screwdriver and slid it along inside the door panel's card reader slot. Holding the star button on the keypad, she found the reader, and pushed on it until there was a cracking sound. Irina cursed as she was shocked by the momentary zap from the panel. She looked at the flashing error message on the screen and frowned.

"Now I'm gonna have to fix this, too. But, it can't be helped. This will buy me enough time to lock down the lab and close the secondary blast doors to the Founder's chamber. Not even Arika would be able to get though it after that," Irina spoke to herself again as she began to run for the main control panel.

The labs had been low on staff, meaning mostly just her and Adam, since school was out of session. Even though classes were supposed to start in a few weeks, no one knew whether or not that was going to happen with Natsuki, Shizuru and Nao missing. She didn't even notice the bullet wound on her side. It wasn't bleeding very much so it was probably just a graze or so she thought, figuring she could bandage it later. As Irina began the lockdown program, the system began to voice each action in the sequence.

"Lockdown process has begun under emergency clearance: Woods-six-seven-seven-five-Tango-Golf, beginning to secure the main external system," Fumi stated as the computer stations began to descend into the floor and were covered with heavy steel access panels. "Process one: complete. Begin sequence: sealing off all outside routes to lab and chambers." This time, the blast door sealed the path into the school, the outside grounds, and finally, cutting off the infirmary. The blast door that Irina had jammed began to move upwards, jerking every ten seconds, as the panel fought to keep the door closed because it was being overridden from the outside.

"Process two: complete. Requiring fingerprint and code verification before sealing outer blast doors," Fumi said as Irina broke her attention away from the opening door, thinking that if she completed the process in time, it wouldn't matter what they did to her, she still wouldn't give up the codes. As she ran for the panel on the wall, next to the Founder's main entrance, she pushed her hand onto the scanner. Irina was trying to forget about the fact that she had about fifteen more seconds, at most, before the door was open enough for the intruders to get through. "Fingerprint identification complete: please speak your access code," Fumi stated.

"Woods-three-five-three-four…" she didn't get to speak the last part of the code before being tackled to the floor and restrained with her attackers hand over her mouth.

"Identification incomplete: process is incomplete," Fumi stated as Irina was dragged away from the panel to somewhere in the middle of the floor. She managed to get the first one off of her, but then she was pinned by two others.

"Director Woods, it is a pleasure," one of them said as she began to peel off her face gear, after she removed it, Irina recognized her.

"Elisa! Elisa Tromgrotten! Twenty-second Coral of the class shortly before I became Director," Irina said while glaring at her as she instantly remembered the girl. Irina had thought the girl was nice, had often tried to help Elisa in her studies, but some people just weren't meant to be Otome. Despite the extra tutoring, Irina and several of the Pearls gave her; Elisa had still failed out half way through her Coral year.

"You remember me! It warms my heart to know that somebody cared enough to remember my name," Elisa said as she pulled up a lab chair and sat in it.

"Commander, clock time is eighty-five seconds," Her second said. Irina's eyebrow arched.

"It can't be … but then you two were always close, Wendy. So it is true, she is collecting all the washouts," Irina said as Elisa bent down and pushed on her wound. Wendy's story was much like Elisa's; she had been the twenty-third Coral. There had been all kinds of rumors about Tomoe spreading around Earl one of them being that she was building an army out of would be Otome.

"As much as I enjoy your memory, I still have a job to do. I need that key, and I know you have it," She said as Irina bit her lip, trying not to cry out.

"What key? You mean the Founder key? Sorry, I don't have it. And even if I did, you'd never know," Irina said as Elisa sat up for a moment and pulled a knife from her back pocket.

"Don't kill her! Just tell them where it is!" Adam yelled just as he was dragged within eyesight of the two. The Valkyrie holding him threw him to the ground, none of them noticing a ring case falling from his pocket.

"Seventy-five seconds," Wendy said as she seemed to get anxious.

"Shut up Adam! I am an Otome. I can't tell them where it is…" Irina cut herself off to scream as the knife sliced her wound more open.

"I have every belief that you won't tell me. But he doesn't seem as strong as you. Roll her over so he can see," Elisa said as the other two rolled Irina on her belly, her wound now facing Adam.

"Now then, where was I? That's right. The location of the key, now let's see how long this will take. We don't have much time to fool around," Elisa said as she cut Irina's shirt open and poked at the wound with the tip of the blade.

"Don't tell them Adam, I'll never forgive you! …I swear I'll never speak to you again if you do," Irina said in between gasps.

"Fifty-nine seconds, the explosive needs ten seconds to place, two to charge and ten to get clear of. We won't make it!" Wendy said clearly losing her professionalization.

"Blessed! I don't have time to play with you!" Elisa said jabbing the knife about halfway into Irina who nearly passed out from the pain.

"I'll tell you! God! It's in a secret pocket in her vest," Adam said as Irina looked at him in disbelief and betrayal. Her face strained both by the pain and the shock of his telling.

"Now, was that so hard?" Elisa said as she quickly found the pocket and removed the key before tossing it to one of her troops. "I have no need to kill you, I just wanted the key. If you hurry you can stop the bleeding," she said as the Founder's door opened and three rushed inside and placed the charge and then got out.

"Twenty-five seconds, let's get out of here, the timer has been set," the demolitions technician said as the door sealed again and the team made their retreat. Adam began applying pressure to Irina's wound as she railed at him.

"How could you!? You just handed them the key to the world. This is on you, Adam! I won't forgive you … I can't forgive you. Get out!" She yelled at him as the charge went off and everything shorted out around them.

"You can hate me all you want, but I'm not going to let you die for something so stupid!" Adam said as the lights went out.

"You stupid fool. You have no idea what you've just done," Irina said crying as she finally passed out.

(Airspace above the Capital, Aries)

"We're almost there. How long do we have?" Itsuko asked as they flew over the business district.

"Not long. The Hexagon is in sight, just a little bit further…" Sara said as her cloak failed and then her robe started to fade.

"What's happening? Our robes are …"Itsuko said as her robe faded after Sara's. Not long after both landed on the roof of a skyscraper harshly.

"Are you okay, Itsuko-san?" The first Column asked as she checked herself for injuries. Because she was on the bottom, Sara's pants had torn and she got a nasty scrape to one of her legs.

"I think my arm is dislocated. I can't move my shoulder. But I can still move everything else," Itsuko reported as she noticed her right shoulder was also bleeding. Sara looked at the wound checking for severe lacerations and other wounds.

"It's just a small cut. I'll have to put your shoulder back though," Sara stated as Itsuko nodded and bit into the sleeve of her good arm as her mentor reset her shoulder.

"Did our signal go out again?" Itsuko asked as she rotated her arm it was very sore but at least she could move it.

Sara took out her phone looking at the screen. They had been unable to communicate with Garderobe, but still had status data coming into the phone. Until now the screen read that the system was unavailable. "There is no Founder, or at least not anymore. Fumi must be down. We have to keep moving. Our major priority is getting to the Hexagon," Sara said as she went to the roof door and kicked it in. "We have to get going. We will run there if we have to," Itsuko nodded and both began to run down the stairs.

(Airship: Bridge, Capital, Aries)

"The Garderobe system has crashed. Both Columns, one and five, have crash landed somewhere south of the target," an officer stated as she read the report.

"We have crossed into Arian radar range. They will be able to detect us," another reported.

"The Founder?" Juria asked, her spies had run through a list of former Otome who now had children and Massyo Jardine, Florence's previous Otome had been chosen. Her spies had quickly captured her and brought her to Tomoe to do the honor of killing her.

"Online in thirty seconds, operation to begin in thirty-four seconds," the second reported again.

"Continue on course. We will be fully deployed before they even get units in the air," Juria said as they closed in on their target.


	15. Chapter 15: Retaliation

**Chapter 15: Retaliation**

(Main War Room, Hexagon, Aries)

"Sir, our airspace has been breeched one large bogey bearing thirty degrees south-southwest with several smaller vessels behind it. Speed is sixty knots we just confirmed it two minutes ago." A soldier said looking up from his computer.

"Get me an image, full spread of south western perimeter." The superior barked as the giant panel of screens changed images until all he saw was a large airship.

"There is no sign of weapons on the ship itself but large Anti IVW field is around it." The soldier said reading off more information and his computer showed it.

"An Airship that is fitted with Anti-Otome technology what exactly are they planning? Are they showing any aggression?" The Major General asked.

"It just keeps approaching Sir. It's not attacking anything, just coming closer to us." The operator said.

"Pardon me, but it seems as if you don't know what that is." A figure wearing a darker army uniform spoke from the partial shadow.

"It's not time to play cloak and dagger you intelligence flunky. If you know what that is you'd better tell me!" The officer said clearly agitated.

"If you check your satellites you will find that Garderobe is offline entirely. They have been closed for months and their founder signal went out about ten minutes ago. That's odd isn't it? Nevertheless, a long forgotten legion is about to emerge from that ship. Dark Otome are not gone as you will find out. We already have agents going to inform the President. I think you should scramble the Otome squads and evacuate the President to Dream Ridge." The intelligence officer said as then turned and left.

"Get me the President!" The man said sliding a card through a reader on a red phone and picked it up.

(President's Chambers, Hexagon, Aries)

Loud snoring could be heard from the President's room. Upon closer inspection one would realize that it was not in fact the President but her Otome. Yukino Chrysant sat on her bed clad in her robe, stroking the hair of her love. Haruka snored but it usually was very quiet barely noticeable except for Yukino who had grown accustomed to it and had trouble sleeping when she didn't hear it. "You must have really worked hard today Haru-chan. You are snoring so loud that I can't sleep." Yukino said smiling and looking down at Haruka Armitage, her Otome. It was only when Haruka was stressed or had work hard that her snores were loud. The latter just snorted and scratched her nose. The President got up from the bed and walked over to a window. Just then she saw a strange cloud in the sky. Was it a cloud? She really couldn't tell and jumped as there was a loud banging on the door.

"Eh… what do you want? The President is sleeping!" Haruka hollered at the intruders before waking up and noticing that Yukino was not beside her.

"Yukino!" She looked around and then saw her master looking at her with a crooked smile.

"Don't do that to me Yukino! You really scarred me!" Haruka said as she heard another rapping at the door. "Hai, Hai. I'm coming, it better not be either of you Hallards!" She pulled on her uniform on and buttoned it up only enough to cover her as she had been sleeping in her underwear. She opened the door to two intelligence officers.

"What are you guys doing here? Can't you see it is past a decadent hour!" Haruka railed at them for disturbing her master.

"Decent hour, Haruka!" Yukino corrected a blush on her face as she pulled the robe tighter around her.

"We are aware of the time Meister Armitage but this cannot wait. We must see the President." One of them spoke as Yukino put on her glasses and came up behind Haruka.

"It's alright Haruka I think I may know what this is about." Yukino said as she allowed the officers into her room.

"Our sources have indicated that a large force of dark Otome have arrived and will begin attacking the capital any time now." One said.

"Valkyrie? But I thought that they were destroyed and all the cursed obsidian gems were as well." Haruka said clearly puzzled.

"That's not all Garderobe's founder went offline ten minutes ago. The first and fifth columns were detected heading for here but their signals were lost at the same time." The second spoke.

"This is all because of that stupid mutt and snake! I'm going to kiss both of them to the moon!" Haruka shout oblivious to the looks she was getting.

"Never mind what General Armitage said. Mobilize Delta. Echo should be coming on shift in a few moments. I want them as my personal protection force." Yukino ordered as Haruka gave a blank look.

"Why do you need them? I have been protecting you longer then they have been," Haruka stated and then grew quiet after she understood what was going on.

The bullet train is being prepared to take you to Dream Ridge, Ma'am." The other said and both got up saluted and left. As they walked out a group of about four young women wearing uniforms walked in and saluted.

"At ease, you are late" Haruka snapped at their captain.

"Excuse me ma'am. We were just bothering to get dressed ma'am. Didn't want to show up naked ma'am," Shie Hallard said in a flat tone and without breaking posture or gaze making reference to a time when there had been an attack on the President in her chambers and Haruka had fought them off not wearing a thing.

"Why you! I'll have your bars now!" Haruka snapped again as Shie began to take off her rank a running gag that had started with her older sister. Haruka would threaten either one with demotion and they would easily hand over their rank knowing that Haruka wouldn't do it or if she did it wouldn't last long.

"That's quite enough Haruka, Captain Hallard. I don't know if you have been briefed or not so I'll just tell you. We are going to be attacked very shortly by a large group of Valkyrie." Yukino said which caused silence. The Wind uprising had only been a short time ago but it had been before any of them were corals at Garderobe.

"With all due respect ma'am, what is Garderobe going to do about it?" a dirty blonde sergeant asked.

"Garderobe is gone. Or you might as well consider them gone. Their lousy Principal and Archmeister deserted their posts. The founder is out-of-commission. We won't be getting any help from them. We are on our own. The mission is for you to protect the presidential transport as it travels its route to the emergency command bunker." Haruka said as she looked over at Yukino and then back at the Otome team.

"What about Delta?" Shie asked curious to where her sister would be sent.

"That's classified Captain. Your duty and that of your team is to make sure I get to Dream Ridge safely." Yukino said sternly.

Shie flinched but quickly quieted herself knowing it had to be bad if Yukino was heading to the military's top secret bunker for the President. The location of the bunker was strictly 'need to know' information. Shie had only learned the location of it a few months ago and was currently the only member of her team that did. She had only been granted knowledge of the base after going through an intensive screen process as her clearance was upgraded from top secret to Yankee Blue. Shie was convinced they interviewed everyone down to her first grade teacher. Not to mention the several polygraph tests she had taken where half the questions she answered made absolutely no sense to her.

"Come along ladies, we'll be just outside the door. I'll patch into command and get NEFCOM up." Shie said as she and the others saluted and turned heading for the door.

"That won't be necessary General Divine will be at the station to certify you so you can certify your team. The spare NEFCOM is being loaded onto the Suzushiro most likely as we speak if not very soon." Haruka said as Echo kept walking closing the door behind them.

(Otome Barracks, Hexagon, Aries)

Chie had just laid her head on her pillow as the klaxons started sounding. "Otome squadron Delta is ordered to the tarmac. Prepare for scenario a double zero. This is not a drill. Probable attack realized. I repeat Otome One - Delta report to the tarmac." The speaker on the wall sounded.

Chie stumbled out of bed pulling her coat on having crawled into bed wearing most of her uniform too exhausted to change. She quickly pulled her boots on the speaker echoing its message as she walked to the door to her room. Begin the commander of Delta had afforded her a room to herself but it was still in the barracks. She yawned then slammed the door open appearing as if she was wide awake and ready to go even though she was just as tired as her squad who were dragging themselves out of bed. "Get a move on it ladies this is the real thing." She shouted into the common sleeping room that housed her squad.

"At this rate I'm never gonna get any sleep." Junko said as she hopped down from her rack and started pulling her uniform on.

"You and me both, they have no consideration obviously. Attacking in the middle of the night, just who do they think they are?" Chie said walking across the room flipping the lights on while she tried to cheer the others up. Even when she tried to be a hard ass Chie's mirth always found a way through.

"Can the both of you just once take things seriously?" Hyoni said as she tightened her belt after being nearly completely dressed by the time Chie was across the room.

"Geez Marcus, it's like coral year all over again. Relax we are not going to be killed in the next ten minutes." Chie said as she didn't notice Junko pulling her hand to her ear.

"I can't raise command or Bowan." Junko said as she walked over to the door.

"We'll worry about it when we get there. Marcus, you're second today." Chie said holding the door open as the squad ran out.

"That's a first usually when orders come though you place Fitzgerald as your second." Hyoni said pulling her hair into a pony tail as she ran through the door. Hyoni had sought Chie's position for a long time and usually butted heads. When the squad was first formed Bowan had assigned Hyoni as the second in command but after several botched missions decided to let Chie choose her second in command that usually being Junko Fitzgerald.

"Are you complaining?" Chie said raising her eyebrow as they ran out of the room behind them and down the hall towards the elevator.

"Too many chiefs and not enough Indians I think." Junko said as the elevator door closed.

(Airship: Bridge, Capital, Aries)

"Founder at full power, operation to start in five…. four… three… two… one, materialize sequence for the first two attack teams has begun. First team away in ten seconds," A Valkyrie said listening to her headphones filtering reports from the army.

"After the tenth team is away. Begin to pull back." Juria ordered.

"Belay that order. We will remain until all teams are away." Tomoe spoke from her chair.

"Roger." The helmsman said the clock winded down to the first deployment.

"Drei, stick to the plan. Don't make me interfere again." Tomoe said slanting her eyes at Juria

(Airship: Launch Bay, Capital, Aries)

"This is what you have been waiting for! The moment I have trained you day after day to savor," Alicia said as she saw the GEMs on the first two lines of girls alight. "Teams one and two line up!" She barked as they two lines stepped onto hatches.

"You'll be falling fast enough to freeze your flesh. Arms to your sides, legs straight as if you were jumping into water, count to five and then materialize. If you do not, then you will plummet to your death. No one is to go after a sister who falls. If you do then I will rip your wings off and you will fall. Either you will soar to the heavens or drop straight though the ground and into hell." Alicia finished as the hatches opened and the first set freefell for five seconds and then shot past the aircraft and toward the capital.

"It's time to show them hell girls! If you encounter one of them, swarm them. But remember, the Hallards are mine." Alicia said as the cycle repeated. "Now is your time, bring them fear! Kill them before they kill you. Show them the power of Otome when we work under our own will."

(Subterranean Station, Hexagon, Aries)

"Mobilize the first through third garrisons. Their orders are to evacuate the citizens to the train stations and also turn all the trains into government expresses. It's highly unlikely that they will attack civilian transports." Yukino said while staying in step with many different officers and officials. "Evacuate the Hexagon and get the council members on the two subway lines out of the city. After they get to the first country stations have transports waiting for them."

"Yes, Madam President." A few of them said before breaking off of the group.

"With all due respect ma'am, we don't have enough shelters in the countryside to accommodate the entire city population." An officer said.

"Get in touch with the Florentine embassy. They will probably take a few of them if they are residents or that is there home country. I'm not counting on them to let any of our citizens in at this point. All the others turn anything you can out in the provinces into shelters. Also prepare paperwork for a temporary order of land forfeit. I don't like it much but we need that land for our own people." Yukino ordered knowing that a lot of rich and powerful families held land in the outer provinces and would not take kindly to the government taking it for its own purposes. It would probably cost her an election but it's not something she needed to worry about now. What she was worried about was still being a free country by the time of the next election.

"That bastard Charles! We took his citizens in when they had that bad flood in that one province this year. Why can't he take a few citizens in?" Haruka said as they reached the train station. Not too soon after they arrived the air raid sirens sounded.

"Captain, we need to hurry." Jenna said as they followed up the rear. They closed the heavy door behind them and sealed them before coming to face with their commanding officer.

"I thought we've been over this Captain. You should have been here sooner." General Devine said as he circled around to Shie's face. "Never the matter, you know what to do."

"Yes, master." Shie said as she pulled her hair away from the side of her face, revealing a darker gem with an orange-yellow color to it in her left ear.

"Shadow Dexterous Amber, under the command of your President, release your power." Divine said kissing Shie's GEM. After the GEM began to glow she stepped to the side.

"Materialize!" She commanded as her robe began to form before settling on her body. A dark cloak settled on shoulders covering the black robe with lines of blue and yellow. Material formed over her neck and the bottom of her chin. She presented her left arm finding a rectangular like control with no buttons. She waved her hand over it and it began to glow.

"May the goddess of victory protect you and keep you safe, Amen." She spoke as the GEM's of her team lit up indicating on their surfaces that NEFCOM was their master. Their robes only varied slightly from Shie's. Long cloaks covered them and their elements were barely visible blades.

"Okay, I want two of you on the train with the President. It's up to your Captain who that is. The other two are to follow the train from outside. I will remain stationary on top of the car." Haruka said as she turned to Shie.

"Daisai and Gordon, you provide backup for the general, Michaels is with me. I want each of you on opposite ends of the car the President is on. There are no windows and the only way on or off of it is through the front and rear of the cabin. With you two guarding those doors they should not be able to get inside. That is if they get past my element crushing them into the hillside below or if the general misses with her mace. If that does happen you are not to leave your posts to help one and another. I don't care if you are outnumbered ten to one. The longer the entrance remains covered, the longer the President remains guarded." Shie said.

"Captain, first counts are coming in from command. At least thirty dark Otome so far and they seem to deploy twenty every two minutes. There is also an IVW field that ranges around ten km around the airships." Jenna said still looking at the projected information from her forearm.

"That doesn't change the plan. We have others tending to those issues." Yukino said as she motioned Haruka to kneel so she could certify her. After calling her robe Haruka walked onto the train with Yukino and the Otome squad. As the train started to move, Shie Haruka and Jenna stayed on the back car.

"I'll show them what the door price is for attacking my capital!" Haruka said as tunnel began to whiz by them.

"Door prize," Shie said without batting an eye surprising even her second in command. As much as both Chie and Shie tormented Haruka usually neither one dared to correct her.

"Quiet! Shut your trap and keep it shut unless you have something relevant to say." Haruka ordered clearly perturbed that Shie had corrected her.

"The tunnel will be running out in a few moments. I don't want you out of my sight Michaels." Shie ordered as they could see the outside approaching as the train continued to speed up.

_Author Notes: The reference Shie made to Haruka fighting in the buff can be found in the story 'Sounds in the Night' if you are curious._


	16. Chapter 16: Battle

**Chapter 16: Battle**

(Runway 2-B, Outer base, Hexagon, Aries)

"Alright, this is how it is going to be. You four will form a roaming blockade to cover evacuation routes for the council members. They will be heading into the subway line stations to board the trains." Bowan said as there was shouting all around in an attempt to augment the base to fight against the incoming threat.

"How long is that going to take sir?" Chie asked over the noise.

"Anywhere between a half hour to forty-five minutes; however long it takes Hallard. Just concentrate on keeping them away from the hole. I've had your squads heavy equipment brought over from the mountain." He said looking behind him as he heard an explosion not too far off. "They're taking out the batteries before the ship even gets in range, smart girls."

"What's the ETA sir?" Hyoni asked as she began to formulate possible options for defense.

"ASAP," Bowan said as a transport helicopter landed not far from their locations.

"Marcus, tap into command and see if you can find out what's going on with NEFCOM. Everybody else, help me unload the bird." Chie said as she grabbed onto a heavy metal case and with Junko's help got it off and on the ground. A few moments later they had all four cases off the chopper. Chie signaled the pilot to take off and then turn back around to face Hyoni.

"Command is saying that Echo is materialized. They also said to avoid firing in the direction of the mountains." Hyoni said looking over to the base of the mountains knowing there was a hidden train that led to Dream Ridge. She had been granted a Yankee Blue clearance during her brief run as Delta Commander when Chie had been arrested on charges of treason the Arian government not wanting to admit they had placed her in Nagi's organization as a spy.

"As if that wasn't a clue, Echo is on train duty to the Emergency Command Base; after you are done with your first task and if things get to hairy for them you will be backing them up." Bowan said holding his hat on as another explosion this one on the far side of the base kicked up a dust cloud and blew over them. "Let's get a move on. Before there is no council left to guard."

"You don't have to tell me twice sir!" Chie said as she walked closer to her commander.

"I'm going to spare you the speech. Just get your rear ends out there and don't make an ass out of my army!" Bowan said as he certified Chie.

"Roger that sir!" Chie said as she pushed one of the buttons on her left wrist. "Take the stage." She said as her teams gems lit up. Shortly after they certified Chie opened the first case pulling out a long metal cylinder. "This one's mine."

"I have to say I like the bigger weapons." Junko said as she pulled out what appeared to be a beefed up version of her rifle. "How thick is Valkyrie armor?" she said pulling the charging handle back on the side.

"Not thick enough. It's not going to stop a round like this." Kazue said pulling out what looked like a shoulder mounted weapon.

"No magic tricks today ladies. Just hit 'em as they come in." Chie said as she watched Hyoni open the last case and pull out an extremely long barreled weapon. "I should be jealous of you Marcus, but you're the only one who can shoot even close to 'green eyes'." Chie said remembering the term that most Arian military snipers had for the principal of Garderobe. Not to mention that two years ago around spring she came to the base for a weekend.

Most people thought she did it to play with the latest rifles but the real reason was because the fearless brigadier general had made a bet; a bet that she had lost. Not to mention given all the rumors that Chie had heard made her think that she was doing it to get away from the Archmeister as she had not been with her. That was the first clue that tipped Chie off that something was wrong between the Principal and Archmeister.

"What can I say; I have a 'piercing' personality." Hyoni said smirking and joining in on the fun.

"Were movin' out!" Chie said as the all lifted off and began to fly for the government district completely unaware of what was waiting for them.

(Bridge, Valkyrie Command Ship, Aries)

"Third and fourth strike teams confirm destruction of Arian Military long range batteries 'Ten Purple and Nine Orange'. Projection of overall enemy defensive loss is fifteen percent. Ability to strike at this aircraft is decreased to forty percent." The Valkyrie Combat Information Control officer recited.

"Seventh and Eighth teams away. Total count of units from this ship stands at eighty, another hundred and thirty from the other ships. No losses or causalities ATM." Another bridge officer stated.

"Intel, how many long range defenses remain?" Juria asked as she looked at a data board before handing it off to one of her underlings.

"Three in range of us after we reach the designated point; all of the northern, but only a portion of the southern and eastern perimeters will have the range to attack us." The Combat Information Control officer said.

"After those three are neutralized redirect all even numbered teams to attack the entrances to the subway lines, they will most likely try to get the councils underground to protect them. Have the odd number teams break into dance formations and watch the northern military instillations. Their target is the President, Continental Orb Topaz and whichever Otome squad that may be providing support." Juria said as the communications officer began to relay order.

"Drei, could it be that you don't know where Chrysant is?" Tomoe asked drinking from a glass that had been brought to her. "I thought your intelligence was top of the line."

"Mein Dame, when we arrived in range of the Hexagon, we did not detect any Otome signals. I have a hunch that they may be trying to get her out from the northern base." Juria said looking up.

"Do you think that they are stupid enough to be materialized within the range of your sensors? I grow weary of your incompetence." Tomoe said with a sharp tone reminding her third in command that she didn't have much more room for error.

"Klien-taichou, five Otome signals just came into range. Confirming, they are of the Continental Orb Topaz and 'Echo'. They appear to be moving quickly along a track high into a hillside heading in the direction of the mountains" The CIC said.

"Get me Wells!" Tomoe barked as the line was opened. "Get out there! I want the President alive that means you can't kill Armitage. I could care less what happens to her toy soldiers!"

"Roger." Alicia said and then the line went dead.

"Drei, how many do you have inserted?" Tomoe asked.

"I have around ten agents and twenty more that have accepted a bribe." Juria said. "Almost all of them are in the command center."

"Keep them at the ready. If things start to go sideways for us we may need them." Tomoe said as she turned back to the screen.

(Presidential Bullet Train 'Pegasus', Emergency railway, Outside of Arian Capital)

"What is the ETA?" Haruka asked as she stood on top of the rail car.

"At current speed six minutes until we enter defensive battery range and nearly two minutes after crossing into that range before we are secure. About seven minutes total and counting." Michaels reported as she looked at a data pad on her wrist.

"So we have to play a moving 'defend the flag game'? Breeze," Shie said as she looked out at the sky and seeing the smoking defensive artillery batteries on the edges of the capital.

"If this is a 'breeze' captain, I'll tack on your oak leaves on myself." Haruka said as she tightened her grip on her chain. Haruka often threaten to take rank away from both Chie and Shie though it was very rare that she suggested promoting either one of them.

"Eleven bogies coming in hot, five in two formations coming right at us and one is hanging back," Jenna said as she saw they two formations speeding toward them.

"They must be doing that stupid dance I saw in that report. Captain, can you split them apart?" Haruka asked as they grew closer by the second

"There still too far away. They have to get a little bit closer." Shie said as she focused her mind on the first incoming group. She could feel her GEM grow hot and her contact points start to hum to life as her scalp began to tingle as did the rest of her body.

"I hope you can pull this off captain. If my chain snaps I'm going to swing you around as a weapon." Haruka said as she began to count off silently.

"Michaels, start attacking them after they are knocked apart. Remember, center mass and flat end of your blade if you can. Killing them will take too damn long." Shie said as she felt her wrists begin to sting. She had worn her robe for nearly two years having to return to Garderobe quite a few times for Irina to make adjustments to it. She wondered if they would ever find the right alignment or if she would always have some pain and drain from the robe. Her robe allowed her to create fields around her either being able to force someone way from her or to created energy weapons. Though she could create any weapon out of energy she preferred a long thin sword.

"No turning back now! Take this!" Haruka said as she swung her mace out hard. It stopped just short of hitting the point woman in the formation and slowed them down just enough.

"Just enough," Shie said as she crossed her arms in front of her. The Valkyrie formation just froze in attack position and shook as if they were being held by something they couldn't see. "Awww, are you guys stuck? I'm sorry, I'll let you go." Shie said as she threw her arms out and the formation exploded causing two of the attackers to smash into the hill above them and one to bounce off a nearby rock beneath leaving two of them. One of them went after Shie grabbing her halberd from her back and extending it in Shie's face managing to cut her left cheek.

"Did I cut your pretty face? Too bad you're fodder for our general." She said trying to attack Shie with the flat end of her element.

"Not at all, I love scars in fact. Did you happen to look behind you?" Shie said as a thin transparent blade came though the Valkyrie's stomach causing her robe to crack. Just as the blade was pulled out Shie noticed that these robes were black instead of dark green and the head piece was more ornate as well as the 'VIII' engraved into the arm. The Dark Otome bounced on the edge of the car shattering her robe before coming to a stop on the rails behind them unmoving. The other was hit by Haruka's mace and smashed into a group of pines.

Haruka turned to see how the other members of Echo were fairing and noticed Jenna Michaels slashing through a group of Valkyrie using the flat end of her glaive then swung it around smacking two more with the staff end sending them falling to the ground in front the train. They scrambled to get off the tracks but were run over by the train. "Nice job Lieutenant." Haruka said commenting on Jenna's performance. The other group split up and took another approach as two of them headed for the car's doors while the other three tried to swarm around the protectors on the roof.

"You lot just don't learn do you?" Haruka said as she picked one of them to launch her weapon straight at, the Valkyrie was hit but landed on top of the car in front of them causing a big dent.

"Time!" Shie barked as she tried to bring her wits about her to do as she had done before but was finding it difficult to do so. She had only ever used her powers in sparring sessions with members of her squad and her sister's squad and on objects such as tanks and even a small vessel once. But actual battle experience she had little of. Throwing a group of hostile Otome around was a whole different beast as she was finding out.

"A little over five minutes Captain …" Jenna said as she took a hit to the back of her leg. She could hear her knee popping as the flat end of the short blade continued to push it downward. She lost her focus and her element disappeared as she dropped to her other knee in pain.

"Michaels! You bitch I'll get you for that Valkyrie scum!" Shie said as she mustered what recovered control she had and smashed her second attacker into the hillside below them so hard she actually had sank into the ground.

"Hallard, get her down into the car and get one of your other ones up here. Damn, they're just too damn fast!" Haruka said as she managed to grab onto the armor of the Valkyrie she had before and threw her away from them.

"I'm fine captain, I can still fly." Jenna said as she began to hover lifting her injured leg up and calling back her element.

"You stay behind me! You come out in front of me again and I'll break your good leg. You understand lieutenant?" Shie ordered as she shook her own guilt away for letting her get hurt in the first place.

"Yes, ma'am" Jenna said as she covered Shie's back as the last one form the formation continued to attack Haruka.

"Getting a little too cookie are you?" Haruka said as she fended off her attacker albeit barely.

"Don't you mean cocky General? Hey you, quit picking on the elderly and fight someone your own age!" Shie said shaping a scimitar looking blade from her element. The lone enemy launched herself at Shie and didn't even notice that Shie had changed her direction so she was heading upward. It was a trick Shie commonly played on Hyoni Marcus of Delta squad; she used it on the older Otome so much so that the maneuver was nicknamed 'Turning the Marcus'.

"Elderly!" Haruka belted at Shie but remained stationary as the captain stabbed her blade through the other woman's thigh being careful to splinter her femur as she pulled the blade out and shoved her away from the train.

"I had to say something that would get her to attack me." Shie said. "Would you have preferred I call you General granny?" Shie said remembering hearing a story where Chie was drunk and had called Haruka that before kissing her. She turned and looked at Haruka barley noticing the last remaining Valkyrie show up behind Haruka. Before she could say anything a shot rang out.

(Subway entrance number three, Arian Capital)

Tires squealed as military escorts led in several dark sedans and the occupants dressed in suits and overcoats ran for cover as Dark Otome swooped down trying to kill them. One of them was nearly grabbed by a Valkyrie before a precise blue blur hit her in her chest causing her to drop the councilwoman and fade into a cloud of dark matter.

"Wow Marcus, that's the fifth one you bagged so far." Chie said as the councilmen and women made a quick line unto the subway.

"How many more corporal?" she asked looking over to the enlisted man sitting at a radio.

"The lines are scrambled. But the last count that was handed to me said there were one hundred-fifty down in the tunnel." He said looked at the latest sheet a runner had brought him. Chie cursed under her breath usually only the high council was in the capital but it was the start of a new fiscal year and all three councils were in the capital as they argued over the budget each councilor saying their township or province deserved more money.

"That mean's seventy-five more. Echo should be to the Emergency Command Base shortly. Marcus, try to raise command again." Chie said tapping her fingers on the metal tube that stood against her leg.

"They aren't trying to kill them on the spot?" Kazue said as she launched what appeared to be some sort of a rocket into a group of Dark Otome.

"Because they know we can reach them if they stop to swing a weapon. I don't like this anyway." Junko said as she started to sight an enemy.

"Command's cut off still." Hyoni reported as she attempted another shot.

"Okay, after we get the rest of them underground I want you to blow the entrance Kazue. That will make it so they can't get into the lanes and blow up the subway cars. Then I'll do 'my part' then we'll pull back to the north base and then get out butts to the Emergency Command Base." Chie ordered.

"'Your part'? Why do I get the feeling it's going to be big whatever it is?" Junko asked.

"Probably because it is? I haven't gotten a chance to use my 'toy' yet." Chie said with a grin stroking the weapon she held as if it were a well loved dog.

"I was right like always. We're going to end up in trouble." Junko responded.

"Would you expect any less from our Colonel?" Kazue asked smirking as she lifted the launcher to her shoulder again. Hyoni just sighed.


	17. Chapter 17: Betrayal

**Chapter 17: Betrayal**

(Bridge, Valkyrie Command Ship, Aries)

"Report" Juria said as she walked across the bridge looking down at the capital burning.

"General Wells has engaged in combat with the Continental Orb Topaz and Echo, Delta has dug themselves into the entrance of the subway tunnels and keeps fighting off our attempts to attack the councils."

"Pass orders to the 'sleepers' telling them to take the command center quietly. They are to keep it at normal level function and tell them to broadcast orders to begin an organized retreat over all military channels except over NEFCOM." Juria ordered.

"Your move seems very interesting. Why not send communications from this ship?" Tomoe asked.

"Because of the fact that their communications has been blocked since right before the attack; it would make them suspicious if it suddenly resumed not to mention they would be able to see it was coming from this ship." Juria answered.

"Why call them away now and not much sooner? Are you admitting that you failed on a directive of your mission?" Tomoe asked again interested to see what answer she got.

"I have not 'failed'. The primary order was to capture the president alive. The secondary was to fight and neutralize the Arian Otome squads. The tertiary and final directive was to cause a disruption to the function of Arian government. It doesn't say anything about killing politicians. I'm having the military moved away so it's easier to take on Delta. I plan to take five teams and have them swarmed." Juria responded.

"Hmm, very interesting, very well, you may send five teams. But if you loose just ten percent, just five Valkyrie, I will take control of this mission and you will be dealt with most harshly." Tomoe said with a grin.

"Aye, Mein Dame" She turned back to the front of the bridge hoping her tactic would work, or more like it didn't blow up in her face.

(Main command center, Hexagon, Aries)

"Get the comm. back on line now!" The major general ordered as the few people that hadn't been evacuated remained.

"Yes sir!" A young second lieutenant said as she passed a small note to another communications operator who instantly began to input data into the computer. Then the female operator turned and nodded to another enlisted woman who pulled out her sidearm and put on a silencer.

"Repeat of command message: All units retreat to fall back point effective immediately. Code: Foxtrot-tango-papa." The operator stated giving the command to the other agents that they were to begin.

"I gave no such order!" The senior officer barked as he noticed the operator to his left point a silenced weapon at him.

"Sure you did. Orders are for all units to withdraw Sir!" The woman to the left said as he turned in front of him to see two others holding pistols and another operator had been shot in the head. He turned behind him to see one of the sentries dead and the other holding her rifle on him. Of the twenty people in the room nine were now dead and the other ten were holding guns.

"You sold out to the enemy! You disgraceful traitors!" He said as one of the officers closest to him pointed her gun at the back of his head.

"We never sold out to anyone. We have always been with the legion." The first operator undid her tie and opened up her shirt slightly as she had been waiting for so long to do so. She walked closer to him and pulled a box out of her pocket and opened it revealing a dark crystal that she hung on her left ear.

"See you in Valhalla, General." She said as she smiled pulling the trigger causing the platform to be stained with blood.

"Do you always have to enjoy it so much Theresa?" one of the others asked.

"I had to wear that tie for too long it got to my brains." Theresa said pushing the body off of the panel as the door opened and other women dressed in various uniforms rushed in.

"Okay, our job's simple now. Just keep fooling the Arian military for as long as you can. They'll eventfully figure out they've been compromised when the code check-in comes. Get copies of their communications protocols also. Oh, and get these bodies out of here. We're not sickos you know pile them up in the freezer in the mess hall. They should keep until somebody finds them and buries them." She ordered.

"We're all sealed up tight." Another said.

"Why didn't you get the code from him?" The same one asked from before.

"Don't ask me hard questions!" Theresa said.

(Presidential Bullet Train 'Pegasus', Blue Mountain Range: Emergency Railway)

"I've been hit!" Haruka bellowed as blood began to roll down her left arm from her shoulder. The robe had taken most of the hit but the high powered round had managed to breech the shoulder of her robe and exit from the other side.

"I have no need for you 'onee-sama'. Now be a good lapdog and go to your master. She must be in terrible pain." The Valkyrie said hovering behind her. She looked different from the others they had been fighting. Her robe had sharp points at the shoulders and she didn't hold a halberd but two odd looking guns that looked like pistols.

"I'll smash you for this!" Haruka said drunk on her own adrenaline. She tried to swing her element out but the chain snapped as if it were rusted. She may have not been feeling the pain at the moment but apparently too much of her mind was being used to block it out. She stumbled back as her robe faded apparently unable to take the trauma. "Damn it!"

"That is where we are the same if something does happen to us where the robe gets breeched it either shatters or fades. Not everybody is like Rena Sayers you know." The attacker said as her helmet split open revealing long brown hair and harsh yellow eyes. "Unfortunately, as much as I would like to fight you to the death, Mein Dame has uses for your master. Go on inside the car. I will retrieve the both of you in a moment. My fight is with her." The woman said pointing to Shie.

"Me?" Shie said looking over to Jenna who mouthed that they were just inside the battery range.

"Look around! You think your second has a chance against me, or your team? I want you 'Captain'. Let me see the power of the Shadow Dexterous Amber!" The woman said touching down in front of Shie as Jenna helped Haruka down and into the car sealing it behind her.

"Okay, I can deal with a washout!" Shie said as she grabbed onto the woman with her mind and held her in place. Shie thought that this woman as well as several of the others she had fought seemed familiar but it wasn't until she saw this one that she connected them to having attended Garderobe.

"Impressive, I can't move my body from this spot, but still lacking." She said as she shot at Shie with her pistols forcing her to let go to deflect the shots which for some reason was proving difficult. "Having a little trouble swatting at my bullets? We did some research on your robe. Though we were unable to find some way to copy it, we did find out how to fight against it. Plain old tungsten rounds seem to play hell with the type of energy you use as an element. Pretty cool huh?" The woman said as she kept shooting at Shie.

"I like a challenge. So what's your name anyway?" Shie said again trying to throw her attacker into the hillside but had to let her go to block her rounds. She counted in her mind how much longer she would have to fight and then the factor of getting the other Otome off of the train before it pulled into station.

"Heh, I suppose I could do you the honor. Alicia Wells, second in command of the Valkyrie corps. Pleased to meet you for what little of your life you have." Alicia said bowing formally in midair.

"So what did you get booted for? Not doing your homework? Your Onee-sama didn't pay enough attention or paid too much?" Shie said as she decided to take another approach and just formed a steady field in front of her.

"Hahahaha, I like you. Too bad I have to kill you. You think I don't know your motive. You have to get me off of this train before it gets to where it is going. Or you have to get me far enough away from the train so that the artillery can hit me. I've had enough of this shooting." Alicia said putting away her guns and pulling out a short blade from her leg.

"Now, that's more like it." Shie said forming her blade again as Alicia ran at her spinning away from Shie's strike and knocking her flat on the ground.

"You're never going to hit me like that!" The Valkyrie said as she ran at Shie again this time scarcely missing her ribs and tearing her cloak.

"That's pretty good. But that's metal isn't it?" Shie said focusing her mind though her foot and into the exterior of the car charging it with energy as the blade flew out of Alicia's hand and stuck to the side of the car.

"Neat trick!" Alicia said straight out punching Shie in the stomach causing her to double over before stomping on her elbow. "Maybe you should be part of the other squad. You are good at entertainment but not fighting. You forgot one of the main rules of combat: you let me get too close."

"I suppose I did, but you should be asking yourself why I did." Shie said as they began to pass over a bridge span.

"You're going to throw me down there right? Well you can't right now. Even if you could somehow get me off the car I would be able to regain my flight before I hit the bottom of that canyon." Alicia said as she stood over Shie.

"Not if you are in pain." Shie said as she called Alicia's blade from the side of the car and slammed into her right thigh with her power and then stabbed her with her own blade in the other leg.

"I'm ashamed…" Alicia said as cracks began to form on her robe around the wounds. "I should have seen this coming. You win Hallard, my respect is given. See you again." She said as Shie threw her off the train and into the canyon. A few moments later she could see the mountain opening as the train approached.

"That's it. Though I doubt I'll get that promotion now. I hope you are okay onee-chan." Shie said as she hopped off the top of the car and walked in. she could see that her squad was already tending to the President's wounds.

"Treat Yu- I mean the President first! I can wait!" Haruka said. Looking over she saw the President lying on the couch with a sheet over her chest and bandages showing on her shoulder.

"I take it we made it captain." Yukino said with a smile despite Sirena Gordon pushing a needle through her skin as she stitched the wound close. They had a light first aid kit and she had been given a numbing agent before Sirena started but it only took some of the pain away.

"Not without cost Madam President." Shie said looking over at Jenna who was having her leg wrapped by Ling Daisai who had given up on Haruka and gone over to help her squad mate.

"Don't beat yourself over Michaels-san. She doesn't blame you. And don't worry about me either. I'm a lot heartier then I look." Yukino said as she tried to sit up but winced. "I'll be okay, I hear it was a through and through." She motioned for Shie to lean so she could whisper. "Just between you and me, Haruka will baby me until this is healed. She feels absolutely horrible. I already have her around. I don't need my officers treating me like an invalid too."

"Yes, ma'am, about Chie?" Shie asked figuring they were out of harm's way for the moment and that she could be told now with her task complete.

"Oh, the Colonel should be retreating soon. They are falling back to the northern base to provide cover for the retreating forces." Yukino said as Haruka rushed over just as soon as she was bandaged one of the intelligence officers finally getting her bandaged. The man had smacked Haruka across the back of the head with his pistol knocking her out long enough to quickly bandage her up. She would need stitches but that could wait until they were at Dream Ridge.

"Captain, just as soon as we are settled in began helping the engineers hook up NEFCOM on the Suzushiro. I just received word that the command center may be compromised. They are broadcasting an order to retreat when no such order was given. Unfortunately they won't realize it until it's too late." Haruka said as the train pulled into the station.

"What about Chie?" Shie asked worried about her sister. If it was true that the command center had fallen Chie might fall prey to false orders and walk into an ambush.

"Don't worry about her she's has a good head on her smolders." Haruka said.

"That would be 'shoulders' dear." Yukino said with a giggle. She apparently found it relaxing to be correcting her Otome again.

"That's what I said. Anyway, get your behinds on that ship and start to help getting it ready, we need to stay mobile." Haruka ordered walking over to Yukino and taking her good hand as she pressed a kiss to her palm.

"You heard her, let's go. Michaels get on the bridge and tell us what we are doing. I hate hooking that thing up." Shie said as she helped Jenna up and helped her walk.

"Yes, ma'am" Jenna said as they walked off the train and into a well lit cavern. They were under a mountain. It would take the Valkyrie a week to get though it to them. After the train passed through the entrance of the tunnel a series of ten inch steal doors would drop causing any intruder to have to cut through seven of the doors. So they had time Shie thought as she thought about her sister in the back of her mind. Though she would never admit it, she was scared for Chie's life.

(Subway entrance number three, Arian Capital)

"Call me stupid, but why are the grunts leaving?" Junko asked as she checked her weapon out of habit.

"The obvious reason would be because the councils are underground. Command still isn't responding." Hyoni said having just checked the line again.

"Okay, I think they probably are giving orders over the other military channels to fall back." Chie said looking up. "Still not close enough."

"Colonel, don't look now, but don't those look like dance formations?" Kazue said still looking though the sight on the side of her weapon.

"It looks that way; they are probably going to come after us. Close up the hole Kazue. We're going to have company." Chie said picking the tube up with her hand. The explosion to the side of them as well as the falling entrance indicated the order had been followed through.

"Don't even try to shoot at them from this far off. They won't even get a chance to attack." Chie said pushing a button on the side of the cylinder. It morphed and opened up into what appeared to be a launcher. "Get ready to fall back after I fire the shot."

"Roger that." Hyoni said as she was already folding the legs on her gun. Chie shot straight up in the air and leveled the launcher at the direct center of the airship. As she waited for the targeting system to work out the shot, she noticed the three formations getting closer.

"Come on, sight it already!" Chie grumbled to herself as she watched the crosshairs dance around in the viewfinder.

(Bridge, Valkyrie Command Ship, Aries)

"Detecting targeting radar, somebody's trying to paint us!" The CIC officer cried.

"ETA on contact," Juria said looking straight across the bow.

"Forty-five seconds." Another bridge officer said.

"Keep the formations on target. They'll get there before they can launch on us." Juria said still staring across the bridge.

(Subway entrance number three, Arian Capital)

"How much longer are you going to take up there?" Hyoni asked noticing they were about ten seconds from getting hammered.

"I almost have it! Marcus take Jarin and get the hell out of here. Junko's going to lay down my cover fire." Chie ordered as Hyoni and Kazue started flying towards the base.

"I can't hold them off for long! Hurry up." Junko said as she began to lay down a wall of energy as Chie's weapon beeped.

"About damn time, chew on this Marguerite!" Chie said as she pulled the trigger and the weapon fired what looked like a rocket. "What are you doing down there? I thought I told you no guests were allowed to join our party! Try actually hitting one or two of them."

"There just so damn persistent, and stop picking on me!" Junko said as she flew backwards still firing until they were out of range.

(Bridge, Valkyrie Command Ship,)

"Missile coming in," The CIC barked.

"Evade it!" Tomoe yelled standing up.

"We're too late. Brace for im…" The officer was cut off as the missile hit towards the bottom and the bridge shifted to the left harshly.

"Stabilize the ship!" Tomoe ordered as the ship began to level out.

"The amplifier has been damaged. The Founder is at fifty percent and falling. All robes are failing!" the operator watching the Shinso stated. "They're all dropping like flies."

"We can't stay aloft for much longer. Even though the missile missed the main gas bladders, we have tears in them and have to set down." The helm officer said as she pulled back on the wheel with all her might.

"Alright, set us down and begin repairs! Get me a count on our losses. I want us mobile in no more then twelve hours! Klien! My ready room, now! When Wells returns she is report to me also. Both of you will pay for your idiocy!" Tomoe bellowed as she looked straight at Juria and then stormed off the bridge and down the hall. "I'm surrounded by incompetents and fools! This is but a setback, I will have Earl eating out of my hand soon enough!" Tomoe said as she walked into the room, the door slamming behind her as she plopped down in her chair.

"Do not worry, I have not forgotten about you, Onee-sama." Tomoe said as she stroked a picture frame, its contents being the photo she had stolen from Natsuki on the night of her ill fated attack. Tomoe had kept the photo and it was a little worn around the edges. She used to carry in just in her pocket but had since then got a frame for it. "You will be mine again and I swear I'll have Kruger's undeserving head on a pike."


	18. Chapter 18: Second Chances

**Chapter 18: Second Chances**

_Author Notes: This chapter starts the third arc of the story. We originally intended only to have three arcs but it seems like we are going to have four instead. There is a time jump here; this chapter jumps back to the present line, and picks up where chapter six left off. _

(Wind: Fuka Castle: Main Hall)

"Goodness, how did there get to be so many?" Aoi whispered to herself as she made her way through a crowded room overflowing with refugees. In her arms she carried a basket of bread. Being caught in the momentary stare of the crowd, Aoi didn't see the small body in front of her.

The impact to her leg broke her concentration on the eyes around her, as did the sobbing coming from below the basket. Putting her arms out in front of her, Aoi could see a young girl. The child couldn't be older then nine or ten at most. The little girl's long black hair was tied into a braid that had begun coming undone. The sight of that braid sent a feeling of memory and loneliness though Aoi.

Shaking the thought of her lover from her mind, Aoi kneeled before the child, set her basket down, and brought the girl's chin up softly, only to look into heavy blue eyes. It was as if the girl's stare had locked Aoi's body in its current position, forbidding Aoi to leave if she should choose to.

"What's wrong" Aoi asked the child while smiling sweetly at her; though the thoughts of Chie continued to hamper her focus on the girl. Aoi couldn't believe how much this child reminded her of Chie.

"I can't find my mommy! I haven't seen her since those bad Otome came!" The girl responded near hysterically

"You are safe from them. They can't hurt you anymore. What is your name?" Aoi asked stroking the girl's face. A light brown tag caught her eye and she recognized the mark identifying the child as an orphan. Still, she felt no ill will towards the girl even though she lied.

"According to this your name is Remi. Did you wander away from the nursery?" Aoi asked and the girl's expression changed from sad to angry. Aoi could not figure out if it was anger at the realization or something else.

"I'm not going back!" Remi crowed with confidence as she began her escape, it was short lived as a hand pulled her back into very inviting warm arms. As she was raised off the ground, Remi could not think of a time when she felt as she did in that moment.

"You can't stay here there is no one to take care of you." Aoi said breaking the warm trance of the youngster.

"You can't make me go back!" Remi informed her as she kicked at Aoi's stomach yet was surprised when the maid didn't release her.

"How about this, you can stay with me for a little while? How does that sound to you?" Aoi asked realizing that Remi was too upset to try to reason with. Never mind trying to persuade her to return where she wandered or more likely ran from.

"Really?" Remi asked instantly calming down, though still weary of her temporary guardian.

"Just for the afternoon alright?" Aoi appeased. She did feel a connection with the girl, but was hesitant to place any other more permanent guarantees. Her job didn't leave much room for raising a child or how Chie could feel about such a thing was not or rather could not be in her realm of thought in the current time.

"Thank you!" Remi beamed as she launched forward, hugging this person who was willing to give her a chance. She had learned even during her short life that one had to take what one could get. And this time she had a better opportunity at most to win this woman over.

"But you are going to have to help me with my chores." Aoi ordered knowing that leaving her alone could cause real problems.

"I don't care, its still better then the orphanage!" Remi happily said reinforcing her earlier thought. Aoi promptly put her down and then looked over at the basket she had set down earlier.

"Alright, your first task will be to help me get this basket to the cook. Then we have to go tend to the queen." Aoi said as she gave two loafs to the child to for her to carry.

"The queen?" Remi asked not entirely sure she had heard right.

"Yes, the queen. I'm her maid, I was just doing the kitchen a favor by bringing this basket down here for them," Aoi said pointing to the set of closed doors down the hall behind two guards.

"Okay!" The young orphan said reaching for two more loaves which she stuck in her deep dress pockets.

After they dropped the basket off, Remi followed Aoi past the guards further down the hall heading into the main part of the palace. She watched the walls go from being plain to having paintings and tapestries. The floor changed too from granite to plush carpet.

"Wow!" Remi responded. She had only ever seen the inside of the palace in magazines.

"I've lived here my whole life and this place never ceases to amaze me," Aoi said as they turned a corner and walked by a small dining room from which the noise of crashing plates erupted seconds after they passed the doorway.

"That was my foot, coolak fuzz for brains! I don't have to worry about the Dark Otome with **you** around!" A loud, boisterous yet somehow familiar voice cut though the room.

"Gomen Mashiro-chan. I was just trying to help Aoi-san out!" The other woman in the room apologized. Not too long after a semi-short figure stormed out of the room. Upon closer inspection, this woman quickly learned that the other woman had been telling the truth.

"What have I told you about calling me 'chan'?" Mashiro railed at her Otome, not at all thrilled at the use of such a close honorific within earshot of others. She quickly donned her sandals and then turned notice to her maid and the girl that was with her. Her Otome quickly snuck out of the room and took about position behind Mashiro, about a yard back. This was to ensure escape if the queen should get the inclination to throw her shoes again.

"Mashiro-sama you shouldn't be so hard on Arika, she's trying to help." Aoi said as she attempted to invoke her master's good will, feeling Remi slide behind her legs in an attempt to stay out of sight. The monarch only scoffed and flipped her hair.

"Somebody has to be." Mashiro shot back as Arika sought to distance herself further by taking another two steps back. However, her Queen's curiosity had been piqued by something or rather someone else.

"Who is that?" Mashiro asked looking at the child with a raised eyebrow.

"This is one of the children from the refugee station in the main dining hall." Aoi stated before kneeling down to Remi's level, "Do you want to meet the Queen?" Aoi asked noticing how Mashiro's expression changed into deep thought at the mention of the girl being a refugee. The queen didn't even notice the girl responding to Aoi with a nervous nod and then coming around in front of her.

"Mashiro-sama?" Aoi asked as she tapped her master's shoulder getting her attention. "I would like you to meet Remi Sanderson."

"Oh ... hello," Mashiro responded not quite sure how she should act. Even though she had been trying her best to communicate with her subjects, face-to-face meetings still gave her a nervous sense. Mashiro saw Aoi nudge the girl and then teach her how to show the proper respect. But even as Remi bowed before her, Mashiro couldn't help but think that the girl shouldn't have to.

"Why do you have ... Remi with you, Aoi?" Mashiro asked trying to find her speech as memories began to flood into her mind. Memories of the time during the Wind Uprising when she spent some time hiding among a group of refugees.

"She wandered away from the nursery and I thought she would have fun seeing the palace a little before I took her back. If that is, it is alright with you?" Aoi asked.

"I have work for you to do. I need you here. Arika!" Mashiro said calling for her Otome. Mashiro thought that she too would like to spend time with the girl, but other affairs were more important.

"Remi was going to help me." Aoi responded as Arika walked up from behind her master nearly tripping on the heel of one of Mashiro's sandals. Upon coming into full view, Remi recognized her immediately her eyes going wide.

"You...You...You're the Blue Sapphire!" Remi said in an excited tone.

"It seems someone knows of you Arika." Mashiro said with a smile.

"Ano? Oh, the girl," Arika said as the thought finally came full circle. Promptly after Arika made her statement, Remi began to laugh at them as she looked up at Arika.

"I thought you would be taller. I knew Queen Mashiro was short, but you aren't much taller then her!" Remi said in between giggles causing Mashiro to frown slightly and Arika to place her hand over her master's head in an attempt to measure the distance.

"Stop that!" Mashiro barked causing Arika to stumble back. "Arika, take Remi around the chambers while I have a word with my maid." Mashiro said as her eyes slanted at Aoi. The Otome and girl left quickly, but not quietly, leaving the other two alone.

(Front Grounds, Garderobe)

The sun had begun its lazy descent into the horizon, over the now overgrown campuses of the Otome academy that had once stood as beacon and balance in the world. Now it only stood as a reminder of better times past. A single beam of light shot across the broken gates as a motorcycle approached and then rolled over the heavy rod iron. There was a mixture of sound; rubber tires squeaking and metal rods clanging, as the motorbike came to a stop just past the lone tent that now stood behind the gate and the massive stone structure before it.

The rider gingerly lifted her leg over the gas tank and then slid off the bike as her feet hit the ground with a thud. Her long scarlet hair hung disheveled over her back and her face. Her steps were jerky as her soft shoes scuffled across the dirt covered stone. Her body consistently shook from a self-inflicted sickness as she made her way to the hatch on the side of the Mausoleum.

She placed a hand on the door before bringing up the other, hesitating a moment as the shakes became more evident, and she swallowed hard. Having regained control, she laid her free fist to the closed door making a loud thumping sound.

"Irina! Open this damn door right now!" Nao screamed into the door as she continued to pound on it.

"Zhang-san?" Someone said from behind her. Nao turned to see a rough but recently shaven Adam Kaine. Her expression softened at the sight of a familiar face, but then promptly turned back to a scowl. This went unnoticed as her hair blocked her face from Adam's sight.

"Hai, get your girlfriend to open this door," Nao responded as her voice scratched. Her throat always got dry and started to hurt when withdrawal began to kick in.

"She won't open that door for anyone other then Arika-san." Kaine responded as Nao's eyes lit up with annoyance. She had come all this way and was not about to be played with by a junior Otome.

"Bullshit!" She barked as her throat spiked in pain. Her hand rose again to hit the door, but the shakes began again in revolt. After closing her eyes and taking a breath, Nao raised her foot to the door kicking it as hard as she possibly could.

"I mean it Woods! I will kick this door down if I have to!" Nao said as her voice broke into a rasp. After a few more kicks the door opened.

"Bloody hell! Will you all stop beating up my door?" Irina yelled in the face of the rough looking woman before she caught a glimpse of her eyes and recognized the uniform under the long jacket she wore. "Nao-onee-sama?"

"Hai," Nao said softly, choosing not to get into Irina's face for getting into hers. Nao pushed past the younger Otome as Adam came up behind her, but was closed off as the door closed before him. Nao stumbled foreword just as Irina took one of her arms and drew it over her shoulder seeing that there was something wrong with the older Otome. Knowing Nao's past, Irina had a pretty good idea what it was. Nao moved to protest, but decided against it as Irina led her down the hall.

"I need a few things," Nao said as she shifted more of her weight onto Irina, secretly glad that she was there to help her.

"I hope it's not your robe. Fumi is entirely fried. I haven't even been able to get her internal network running yet." Irina said as she noticed older column's eyes glaring at her as if to remind her that she was in no condition to need or even use her robe. Nao could barely stand on her own, a point that was steadily becoming more apparent.

"You are not funny. And we'll get to that later. Firstly, I need a few doses of methadone I used what I had on my way here. And don't give me crap about you not having any. I know Kruger made you stock it just in case." Nao said knowing full well that Natsuki knew her past and would not risk being caught unprepared.

"I'd be more then happy to help you out. That is, if I could get to it. Everything was fried when those bastards came, even the door switches. There's about a foot and a half of steel keeping me from the medical lab." Irina told Nao as they entered the lab. Shortly afterward Nao emitted a low growl and made it known that she wanted to stand on her own.

"Damn it, I should have known it wouldn't be that easy." Nao said with a sigh as she pulled some of her bangs out of her face. "What do you need to get to it?"

"I can get to the doors gearbox, but…" Irina trailed off.

"But what!?" Nao snapped and then calmed herself. "Please, give me direct answers for the time being. I've got withdrawal sickness and not a whole lot of patience," Nao said as she locked her knees.

"Sorry, then I would need about a three hundred pounds of counter weight pulling the door up. It's not a one man job. I need someone else to help me pry this latch here in the floor off of the gear so that it will open." The director said as she pointed to the exposed gear assembly in the floor. She watched the column put all her weight on the rod to release the gear but soon found out she couldn't and then turned back pointing at the hall.

"Oh no! I'm not letting him back in here! It's his fault that all of this happened!" Irina protested as she pointed to the exposed wires hanging from the walls.

"Woods, right now, I don't care. Get Kaine in here to help you open that door." Nao said as Irina grunted, but ran for the hatch anyway. A short time later the two appeared and were able to pull the latch back, bringing the door up loudly. Not too soon after, Irina began to walk forward into the now accessible corridor.

"Now, go get what I need." Nao said as she watched Irina turn the corner before throwing Adam into the wall by his collar. "No long winded explanations or I will kill you. Tell me what the hell happened here."

"We were attacked by a Valkyrie team," Adam said as he looked away, "They were going to kill her so I told them where the key was."

"Knowing the firepower they had I don't think they would have needed it. I came through Aries... it's in ruins." Nao said thinking about how she had barely been able to make it through Aries. Tomoe had put a bounty on each of the Column's heads so every soldier she had was looking for them.

"You mean Occupied Territory 2? Aries doesn't even have a name anymore, or so they've been saying over the media that wasn't destroyed. Anyway, they attacked us at the same time. Or shortly before best I can figure." Adam said as Nao glared at him giving him the clue to stop talking.

"With just Woods working alone how long until the surrogate system is online?" Nao asked as she picked up some part off the table.

"I haven't been in here much, but just by looking while Arika-san distracted her; the cores were not damaged only the hardware was. But then she's probably been working on Fumi herself." Adam stated as Nao slammed the part on the table as her remaining patience wore out.

"How _**long**_ Kaine?" Nao asked again letting Adam know that he risked bodily harm if he didn't answer her directly this time.

"I don't know. Maybe a couple of weeks to a month," Adam blurted out

"Thank you, and how long would it take to get only the surrogate system working if you help?" Nao asked.

"From nothing and with her working with me, it would still like three weeks to a month." Adam responded glad that he was able to cut himself off.

"Okay, how many people do you need to get it working in a week?" Nao asked surprised by her second wind of patience.

"The only way that is even remotely possible is with a full staff. We haven't had that since before the school was closed." Adam said as he heard Irina closing doors. "That's about ten people."

"Right…." Nao said as she saw Irina come up behind Adam with a handful of vials.

"There's five here. If I only give you this many at a time we should be able to last the month." Irina said as Nao took one of the bottles and emptied its contents into her mouth and down her throat. After sighing in relief she took the other four into her coat pocket and handed the empty to Irina.

"Fix the surrogate system. Drop all projects until its working." Nao ordered as they both looked at her blankly. "Look, I don't care what Wang or Yumemiya told you, I am still a fucking Column and your boss!"

"...Adam, find whoever you can and get them back here. If they refuse you, tell them Zhang-san is upset, and wants them here now." Irina said as Adam bolted down the hall.

"No bullshit Irina, you better let him back in." Nao said as she cast an eye on Irina's cot. Within a few steps, Nao walked over to it and then collapsed onto it.


	19. Chapter 19: Repairs

**Chapter 19: Repairs**

(Florence: Outskirts of Capital: Valkyrie Fortress: Main Keep: Commander's bedchambers)

The dark bedchamber whistled with the wind from leaky windows as the Principal of Garderobe sat against the wall breathing heavy while her Archmeister sat on the bed staring at her unable to reach her since their captor shortened the chain. Shizuru called out to her love calling her name but the latter can barely raise her head to look at her.

"She needs treatment." Shizuru protested as she pulled on the skimpy top that had been afforded her as her 'master' look over from a table across from her.

"She'll be fine." Tomoe said as her attention returned to the documents before her.

"Please," Shizuru pleaded as she rose onto her knees. "I have done everything you've asked. I've constantly sullied myself over the past couple of days to keep you satisfied. I think I deserve one request."

"You thought wrong." Tomoe said with a smirk as she looked over to Natsuki "Her wounds don't appear to be bleeding anymore. Kruger, which would you rather have? A few stitches or your Archmeister screaming my name?"

"Burn in hell Tomoe," Natsuki retorted as she began a coughing fit. She knew she had lost a lot of blood and with the meager amounts of food Tomoe had given her hadn't been enough to replenish what she had lost.

"Tomoe, if she dies, then I die." Shizuru proclaimed.

"I don't think it works that way. And so that won't happen. If she dies you'll still be mine." Tomoe shot back confidently

"There are many ways to make ones self expire. You can't possible prepare for them all. Just one day, and you won't know when, I'll just die." Shizuru said as she entering into a visual game of chicken with her captor.

"Do you really still care for her? She hates you." Tomoe flared as she was still upset with the fact that Shizuru would not accept her.

"Suicide at this point is like a baby step. And maybe I should just pace my breath just right the next time you choose to defile me. I'll be dead before you can get the satisfaction." Shizuru said with a warm but dark smile.

"Fine," Tomoe grumbled as she realized that she had blinked first as she touched her GEM. "Send me a medic."

"The idea has slipped from my mind, for now." Shizuru said very satisfied even though it was a small victory.

"Don't push me. You may outlive your usefulness. Remember the longer you have my favor the longer she lives. Lose my favor and I swear to you she will be begging for death by the time I am done with her." Tomoe crowed as a girl with a bag entered with a guard.

(Cardair: Capital: Palace: Underground Throne Room)

"Alyssa-chan, what are the reports from the underground?" The queen asked as she held a baby boy in her arms as he breastfed.

"We haven't had much news we lost another informant yesterday your highness." Alyssa Kruger said as she pulled her bangs out of her face looking to her side she saw her Onee-sama look over at her.

"Anything on the columns?" Itsuko asked as she reached under her long hair touching her GEM. She had taken to wearing a palace servant uniform ever since she had been whisked to the palace by her kohai. She had been lucky enough to some how find her way into Cardair's borders after wandering for what seemed like days and days. Her columns uniform was in tatters, but it made more sense for her to dress this way as she was hiding from Tomoe's forces what with a bounty on her head.

"We believe Nao-chan was spotted on the southern border of the country." Alyssa responded.

"That concerns me. Nao-san has never been one to just put herself out where she can be seen by anyone." Akane stated as she fixed her blouse and handed the child to one of her attendants.

"That is, unless she wanted to be seen." Maya said as she rocked another child in her arms.

"I can't leave to check it out. Her highness's safety is of the utmost importance. In addition, it's not wise to show myself right now. There is a silver platter that Tomoe wants to place my head on. She may be just letting Nao go to see where she runs." Itsuko stated.

"Her highness' safety isn't your concern. She has an Otome for that." Maya said reminding Itsuko.

"Even so, they already have two of the five of us and the founder knows where Sara-onee-sama is." Itsuko said as she tried to avoid what was coming

"Are you frightened Tsukinobi?" Maya asked.

"You're right! I am scared! This was never supposed to happen. I don't even really know how to operate my robe even if the founder was running. I've only ever had test butous." Itsuko cried.

"And you _**have not**_ been sitting here playing checkers. Was I wasting my time training you?" Maya asked getting rather upset.

"With all due respect onee-sama a civil war wasn't on when you got your GEM." Itsuko shot as she regretted saying it soon after.

"This is hardly my first war, child." Maya said letting a dagger fly.

"Well then maybe you should have never retired! I knew that a conflict or two might pop up but this? Why the hell should I give my life when Shizuru and Natsuki ran away!" Itsuko said as she watched Maya's eyes cut into her as she handed the child that was in her arms to Akane and then walked towards Itsuko before slamming her into a wall behind the throne that was obstructed from view.

"Because you are an Otome and you swore an oath, where others have failed in their duties you cannot." Maya said just inches from her replacements face.

"You still haven't answered my question. Why should I give my life for something that is no more?" Itsuko asked

"You know the answer." Maya said as Itsuko grew quiet and looked away. "You are an Otome and if you must die to protect others then so be it. That is your duty. You knew that when you first enrolled. If you didn't believe that it would ever happen you are a bigger fool then I thought."

"I just didn't know that I'd be standing alone." Itsuko stated still looking away.

"Hai, you have been given an unfair lot but it isn't beyond you." Maya said reassuring her.

"Well, if Nao-san is flashing herself around, it must be for a good reason." Itsuko said returning to the point at hand.

"I never fully figured that one out but I do know she never does anything without reason." Maya said before walking away.

(Bazaar, Center District, Wind)

Shops and kiosks bustled with activity as the assistant director of Garderobe moved away from another door realizing that it had been the third one on the list of other techs that had not lived address listed for a long while. He wondered if they were all like this as he looked at the crumpled paper very thankful that after years of trial and error he had learned how to read his love's handwriting and shorthand.

However he did not notice the person approaching in his path. They did not notice him either, "They were out again? I can't complete the third stage with these stone hammers and cat skins!" A female voice came from the cloaked figure as the two ran into each other knocking one and the other down as their heads knocked together soon after the woman launched forth in a foreign tongue.

"Excuse me but I don't appreciate being called an imbecile" Adam said as he himself did not realize that the woman had not been speaking the normal language. But this was because he had been called all those things before.

"Kaine? What are you doing here?" Youko Helene asked as she looked at her former flunkies.

"Trying to find, Hamon, Jones and Takia," He responded not taking his eyes off Youko. Her hair had grown long in the past two years and had even shown some sign on her age.

"May I ask why? I would assume they are all in hiding. You are all wanted criminals." Youko said getting up and fixing her cloak.

"As are you," Adam said as he got up and leaned to her ear. "We're trying to fix Fumi-sama"

"Huh? I the rumors are that she was damaged so bad that she could not be repaired." Youko said as the two of them began to walk together.

"Too much for Irina to fix herself but between Nao-san ordering us around and Arika-chan opening the blast doors we were able to get in." Adam said as Youko increased her pace

"I'll have nothing to do with it. Tell Irina it's time to get rid of her training wheels." She said as she kept her pace.

"Alright, but time is against us." Adam said as Youko came to a dead stop.

"Time is always against you. You're always waiting for the next failure, when the roof is going to come crashing in on you or when you're going to get shocked to death. I'd much rather see death coming at me then wondering when it's going to come up behind me." Youko said clearly affected by Adam's last statement.

"You haven't heard? Tomoe captured both the Principal and Archmeister." Adam said hoping that the fact would sway Youko. She stood there silent for a moment but then began walking again.

"Not my problem." She continued to walk until Adam grabbed her wrist very close to an alleyway.

"You know it should be your problem, after all they done for you and the Aswad." Adam said not aware of what was coming until she pulled him into the alley and slammed him into the wall.

"Like you have anything to say about it boy! You have no right to throw that in my face," Youko spat clearly angered by the statement.

"I'm just saying they've helped you it wouldn't be unthinkable to help them." Adam said pushing her away and heading for the entrance.

"I won't be obligated to anyone anymore, except for my people." Youko said as two figures entered the alley one of them very large and another about average size. The larger one picked Adam up by his neck as his feet dangled. The other dropped their hood revealing long red-orange hair with hints of gray in the roots.

"I was starting to wonder what was taking you so long Youko. I had suspected that it would be your love for old world junk. But I see now it wasn't your fault for being late. You were being accosted by this pipsqueak." Midori said looking back at Adam as he fruitlessly tried to pry the metal hands that held him apart

"Come on Rad put me down please!" Adam said at the cyborg. But he only lifted him higher.

"If you attract anymore attention I will squeeze you to death like an Arian desert hare." The cyborg's heavy but tin voice echoed from within him.

"We're in an alley and you are holding me three feet off the ground I don't think I'm the one causing the attention here." Adam replied earning a sigh from Midori.

"He's got a point there." She agreed looking over at the tech. "We'll just hop over the building tops and out to the desert and then he'll squeeze you like a desert hare. But first, why were you bothering one of my people. She doesn't belong to your rotting institution anymore. I never thought I'd see Garderobe fall, but then I never thought I see an army of whiny girls led by the whiniest one of them all wipe out Aries let alone kill Garderobe too." Midori paused again to sigh. "I have a feeling that very soon my people won't have to fear anyone if things keep as they are." She finished as Rad put Adam down who then looked at the three Aswad.

"I was just asking for help. I should have known better then to ask an Aswad." Adam stated.

"Why you!" Rad exclaimed as he swatted his arm lightly though Adam still went flying into a stack of wooden crates crushing them as he landed.

"I have a feeling my good will is about to run out. You'll soon see why they call us 'the unforgiving people'." Midori said making it apparent that her annoyance was rising.

"Right, unforgiving and uncaring. Forget I said anything." Adam said as he turned his back and began to walk away. An action that he was soon regretting as a blade poked at his back.

"I only asked you what you wanted, it's very rude to ask something in the matter you have. Now why don't you come back around and ask us nicely. Otherwise I will kill you for your attitude." Midori replied indicating that she was no longer playing.

"I'm not going to grovel so forget it, if you wan to help then fine if not then fine." Adam retorted as he was slammed into the wall again.

"Not a better attempt but I'll be willing to forgive it if you have something to offer." Midori stated with a smile. Youko attempted to close the distance but was blocked by Rad.

"What do I have to offer? I'm just a lab assistant to a broken school." Adam protested.

"Midori, just let him go." Youko requested but was met by a glare from her friend.

"Youko, I have business with this boy." Midori said turning her head back. "I want to see the inside of your Founder. I want to see what a horrible sight it is and how powerless you high-and-mighty bastards are." Midori said as if she relished her response.

"Come on then." Adam said accepting her demand as she let him down.

"Midori, have you even thought about the fact that I might not want to help them. I have to finish the cure. I don't have the time to help work on something that Irina is more then capable of fixing on her own." Youko protested.

"What's a couple of weeks?" Midori said with a crooked grin.

"Leader, I don't think that Youko should have to commit to them just to satisfy your morbid curiosity." Rad said being well aware that if he had been anyone else his head would have just met the dirt for his comment.

"Fine, no commitments let's just take a look around. If it isn't salvageable maybe there is something we can use." The Aswad leader said happy with the thought of finally being able to take something meaningful from Garderobe.

"I don't like this Midori. I left them happy that I wouldn't have to hop through hoops and now you're making me do the same thing?" Youko said not pleased at being offered up as a bargaining piece in the first place.

"Fine let's go back to the desert. I thought you at least liked some of these people." Midori replied disappointed but not willing to push Youko any further. She began to turn as Youko looked down

"Fine, I'll do it." Youko said as they headed back towards Garderobe.


	20. Author Notes

Author Notes:

I'm writing this to apologize for ending this story where it is. This was a joint project between myself and Ultima-Matrixed though because of several disagreements we are no longer writing together and this story won't be finished. Once again I apologize for the story just ending abruptly.

Angel


End file.
